An Animal Model of Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis in the Rabbit. Induction of Cellular Hypersensitivity to Inhaled Antigens Using Carrageenan and BCG

Authors

Laurence Bernard Peterson, Marquette UniversityFollow
Roger Steven Thrall, Marquette University
Vernon L. Moore, Medical College of WisconsinFollow
James O. Stevens, Wood Veterans Administration Hospital
Peter A. Abramoff, Marquette University

Document Type

Article

Language

eng

Format of Original

6 p.

Publication Date

12-1977

Publisher

American Thoracic Society

Source Publication

American Review of Respiratory Disease

Source ISSN

0003-0805

Abstract

Previous studies from our laboratory have indicated that long-term aerosol exposure to pigeon dropping extract, one of the etiologic agents of hypersensitivity pneumonitis, did not produce lung lesions (1). However, inflaming the lungs with dead bacillus Calmette-Guérin and continued inhalation of pigeon dropping extract induced cell-mediated hypersensitivity to inhaled antigens in bronchoalveolar cells. On the basis of these data, we suggested that some inflammatory agent that affected the lung could result in the induction of cell-mediated hypersensitivity to inhaled antigens in human hypersensitivity pneumonitis. Data in the present study showed that carrageenan, another inflammatory agent, functions similarly to bacillus Calmette-Guérin in the induction of cell-mediated hypersensitivity to inhaled antigens in bronchoalveolar cells. The successive demonstrations that both bacillus Calmette-Guérin and carrageenan could inflame the lung and permit the induction of cell-mediated hypersensitivity to inhaled antigens suggested that several other inflammatory agents can play a similar role. In addition, the present study demonstrated that long-term aerosol exposure to antigens is not necessary for the development of pulmonary cell-mediated hypersensitivity; the use of either bacillus Calmette-Guérin or carrageenan as a pulmonary inflammatory agent, together with 3 weeks of insufflation with pigeon dropping extract, resulted in the induction of cell-mediated hypersensitivity to the inhaled antigen in bronchoalveolar cells.

Comments

American Review of Respiratory Disease, Vol. 116, No. 6 (December 1977): 1007-1012. Permalink.

Recommended Citation

Peterson, Laurence Bernard; Thrall, Roger Steven; Moore, Vernon L.; Stevens, James O.; and Abramoff, Peter A., "An Animal Model of Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis in the Rabbit. Induction of Cellular Hypersensitivity to Inhaled Antigens Using Carrageenan and BCG" (1977). Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications. 492.
https://epublications.marquette.edu/bio_fac/492