Ultrastructural cytochemistry of glycoconjugates in basophils from humans and animals

Summary The distribution of glycoconjugates in the basophil granules of humans, guinea pigs, and rabbits was compared. The observation of acid mucopolysaccharides using the dialyzed iron method and of sulfated glycoconjugates using the high iron diamine method revealed three types of reactions in the basophil granules of all three species: (1) granules showing a strong overall reaction, (2) granules showing reaction only at their periphery, and (3) granules showing no reaction. With regard to the relationship between maturation and the types of basophil granules, it appeared that, in general, there were many type-1 granules among immature basophils, but that these granules decreased in mature basophils as type-3 granules increased. The reaction patterns of periodate-reactive neutral glycoconjugates, as shown by the periodic acid-thiocarbohydrazide-silver proteinate (PA-TCH-SP) method, were different from those of acid mucopolysaccharides: the reaction of basophil granules was diffusely positive, and localization at the periphery was rarely observed. Therefore, unlike the acid mucopolysaccharides, it was difficult to classify the glycoconjugates into three types. However, as with acid mucopolysaccharides, there was a tendency for periodate-reactive glycoconjugates to decrease as maturation progressed. In terms of different species of animals, the reaction of periodate-reactive glycoconjugates with PA-TCH-SP was stronger in humans and rabbits than in guinea pigs.     

Ultrastructural and ultracytochemical identification of the small granules in basophils from human and animals

The small granules in the basophils obtained from humans and animals were compared ultrastructurally and cytochemically. Cytochemically, there were no qualitative differences among the small granules in the species examined. The small granules in humans, guinea pigs and rabbits were approximately 0.16-0.22 micron, 0.15-0.17 micron, and 0.12-0.16 micron, in diameter, respectively. In all species small granules had a single unit membrane and contained some amorphous material. In immature cells many of the small granules were distributed near the Golgi apparatus, while in the mature cells many of them were found around the periphery of the cell. There were no morphological or cytochemical differences between the small granules of the immature cells and those of the mature cells. The negative reaction in the dialysed iron and high iron diamine methods showed that the small granules did not have acid mucopolysaccharides or sulfated glycoconjugates. The strong reaction of the small granules of all species to the periodic acid-thiocarbohydrazide-silver proteinate (PA-TCH-SP) test, which was especially prominent in rabbit, showed that the small granules have many periodate-reactive neutral glycoconjugates but no acidic glycoconjugates. Enzyme cytochemistry revealed that the small granules are negative for peroxidase and catalase but positive for acid phosphatase.     

Ixodes dammini: Induced skin lesions in guinea pigs and rabbits compared to erythema chronicum migrans in patients with lyme arthritis

Erythematous skin lesions occurred in rabbits 2 days after being fed upon by larvae or nymphs of the tick, Ixodes dammini. Similar lesions occurred in guinea pigs 7 days after a primary infestation with either larvae or nymphs. Host resistance to secondary feeding by larvae was demonstrated in guinea pigs and rabbits. Host resistance to secondary feeding by nymphs was seen in guinea pigs, but not in rabbits. Guinea pigs developed resistance to nymphs after being previously fed upon twice by larvae. All skin lesions in resistant guinea pigs contained large accumulations of basophils (49–76% of cells) with smaller (20–33%), but significant, numbers of eosinophils. These responses were characteristic of strong cutaneous basophil hypersensitivity reactions. Primary and secondary lesions in rabbits fed upon by larvae contained mostly mononuclear cells (46–52%) and moderate numbers (16–30%) of basophils and eosinophils. Primary and secondary lesions in rabbits fed upon by nymphs had few (3–11%) basophils and eosinophils and were dominated by mononuclear cells (73–86%). Thus, acquired resistance in guinea pigs and rabbits was associated with cutaneous basophil and eosinophil responses and the lack of resistance of rabbits to nymphs was associated with erythematous lesions dominated by mononuclear cells. The mononuclear nature of rabbit lesions induced by nymphal feeding was similar to that seen in erythema chronicum migrans in Lyme arthritis patients who are thought to have been fed upon by I. dammini nymphs. This study confirms the cutaneous basophil hypersensitivity characteristics of lesions in guinea pigs resistant to ticks and demonstrates a relationship between the mononuclear cell response of rabbits to nymphal I. dammini and the cellular response seen in patients with erythema chronicum migrans and Lyme arthritis.     

Tumor-basophil interactions in vitro--a scanning and transmission electron microscopic study.

Purified guinea pig basophils, or basophils either specifically degranulated with antigen or nonspecifically degranulated with lectin, were cultured with guinea pig line 1 hepatoma cells for 1 to 24 hr and studied ultrastructurally. As early as 1 hr of culture, degranulated or nongranulated basophils and tumor cells formed close contacts by mutually intertwined elongated cell processes and also in cultures containing degranulated basophils, extruded membrane-free basophil cytoplasmic granules became firmly attached to tumor cells. At later intervals, some tumor cells cultured with basophils exhibited cytostatic and cytopathic changes, including dense mitochondria, centralization of organelles, dilated perinuclear and rough endoplasmic cisternae, cell swelling and cytoplasmic lucency, disrupted cytoplasmic organelle and plasma membranes, nuclear pyknosis and fragmentation. Some tumor cell specialized surface attachments were either disrupted or damaged at points of basophil or basophil granule adhesion. Tumor damage was most extensive in cultures containing degranulated basophils, although only a minority of tumor cells (less than 10%) was affected. Tumor injury was seen much less frequently in the presence of nondegranulated basophils, and was absent in control cultures of tumor alone. The occasional viable tumor cells that phagocytosed basophil granules were apparently unharmed, suggesting that internalization of basophil granules by tumor cells is not cytotoxic.     

Glycoconjugate localization with lectin and PA-TCH-SP cytochemistry in rat hypophysis

Glycoconjugates were localized by light microscopy with lectin-peroxidase conjugates and by electron microscopy with the periodic acid-thiocarbohydrazide-silver proteinate (PA-TCH-SP) sequence in immunocytochemically or morphologically identified cell types in rat pituitary. Lectin histochemistry demonstrated sialic acid and glycoconjugates with N-glycosidically linked oligosaccharides in gonadotrophs, thyrotrophs, and corticotrophs. Galactose penultimate to sialic acid was observed mostly in gonadotrophs. The terminal galactose-N-acetylgalactosamine disaccharide was detected in a few gonadotrophs and in a moderate number of mammotrophs. Fucose was localized in only corticotrophs with two fucose-binding lectins and in thyrotrophs with another. Several different monosaccharides were seen in glycoconjugates in melanotrophs and in Herring bodies. Melanotrophs displayed heterogeneous staining with fucose-binding lectins. A small number of nonsecretory cells were also visualized in the pars distalis by virtue of their glycogen content. PA-TCH-SP staining revealed complex carbohydrates in secretory granules and some Golgi cisternae in all types of hormone-producing cells in the pars distalis except for the somatotrophs. Melanotrophs of pars intermedia exhibited stained secretory granules and irregular dense bodies containing a stained meshwork. Corticotrophs of the pars distalis lacked the latter bodies, although they form the same glycoprotein precursor hormone as melanotrophs. Lectin conjugates and the PA-TCH-SP sequence stained some groups of secretion granules in Herring bodies, possibly representing vasopressin-containing granules as well as other cell types in the pars nervosa.     

Varicella-zoster viral glycoprotein envelopment: ultrastructural cytochemical localization

The periodate-thiocarbohydrazide silver proteinate (PA-TCH-SP) method was used to study the envelopment process in varicella-zoster virus-infected human melanoma cells. Viral envelopment could be seen at two sites, the nuclear membrane and at virus-induced intracytoplasmic vacuoles. Virus-associated glycoconjugates were detected by the PA-TCH-SP method at the plasmalemma and on the inner membrane of the intracytoplasmic vacuoles. Virion envelopes acquired at the nuclear membrane were PA-TCH-SP negative, whereas those acquired at intracytoplasmic vacuoles were PA-TCH-SP positive. All virions found inside these vacuoles contained periodate-reactive envelopes. Release of virions into the extracellular space, where virtually all virions were PA-TCH-SP positive, appeared to be via exocytosis. Thus, the PA-TCH-SP method identifies glycoprotein incorporation at specific cytoplasmic vacuoles distinct from nuclear envelope, endoplasmic reticulum, and Golgi lamellae. These results suggest that envelopment within the cytoplasm is a stage in the assembly of the varicella-zoster virion.     

Schistosoma mansoni: the cutaneous response to cercarial challenge in naive guinea pigs and guinea pigs vaccinated with highly irradiated cercariae

Schistosoma mansoni: the cutaneous response to cercarial challenge in naive guinea pigs and guinea pigs vaccinated with highly irradiated cercariae. International Journal for Parasitology16: 491–510. Naive guinea pigs and guinea pigs vaccinated 4 weeks previously with highly irradiated cercariae were challenged percutaneously with normal cercariae. Skin samples from the challenge site were then harvested at varying times to provide histological, quantitative and ultrastructural data on the respective cellular responses to cercarial invasion. The primary cutaneous reaction was characterised by neutrophils; these cells reached peak numbers (16% of total cells) by 18 h. Eosinophils and basophils made only a small contribution to the infiltrate (2.9 and 5.7% respectively). Some basophils showed evidence of anaphylactic degranulation, others seemed to be damaged, but most appeared normal. Mononuclear cells of varied morphology were present at all times, but activated fibroblasts were prominent, and collagen deposition increased with time. Degranulating mast cells were recognised at 24 and 48 h. Dead schistosomula were never seen in naive-challenged skin, although one or two of the observed larvae showed minor tegumental abnormalities. In vaccinated guinea pigs, the cutaneous cellular response to challenge was significantly enhanced, with basophils dominating the reaction (33% of total cells at 24 h). Many basophils were already degranulating by the anaphylactic mechanism at 3 h post challenge, and free basophil granules were seen frequently. Both intact cells and free granules congregated in close proximity to invading larvae. Eosinophils were also present in greater numbers at secondary reaction sites, but they never exceeded 6% of the total infiltrate. Mononuclear cells believed to be immature eosinophils were prominent from 3 h. For the first time, the mechanism of eosinophil attachment and degranulation onto a multicellular target, described previously only from in vitro investigations, was recognized in vivo. Neutrophil numbers matched those recorded in naive-challenged skin at 3 and 6 h, but declined thereafter, while mast cells were seen degranulating at these early times. Mononuclear cells again presented a variety of morphological appearances; of particular note were large cells that had phagocytosed debris and were presumed to be macrophages, and small rounded cells with scant cytoplasm and few organelles, that may have been lymphocytes. By 12 h, large areas of the dermis had become severely disorganised and numerous, free basophil granules were distributed amongst the other cellular constituents. Dead schistosomula, denuded of tegument, were clearly recognised at 6 h, and such individuals invariably had neutrophils attached to their exposed muscle layers. Since dead schistosomula were not identified in naive-challenged guinea pig skin, it is concluded that a percentage of the challenge larvae, however small, is preferentially killed in the skin of the vaccinated animals.     

Leukocyte differential analysis in multiple laboratory species by a laser multi-angle polarized light scattering separation method.

Leukocyte differential analysis was performed in various species, particularly laboratory animals, by the laser multi-angle polarized light scattering separation method. Venous blood specimens were drawn from the following subjects: healthy adult men and women ("humans"); cynomolgus monkeys ("monkeys"); common marmosets ("marmosets"); beagle dogs ("dogs"); miniature potbelly pigs ("swine"); Japanese white rabbits ("rabbits"); Hartley guinea pigs ("guinea pigs"); and Sprague-Dawley rats ("rats"). 90 degrees/10 degrees scatter plot: Basophils and mononuclear-polymorphonuclear cells were separated in all subjects, but individual 10 degrees and 90 degrees scatter plots overlapped in dogs and guinea pigs, respectively. 90 degrees depolarized /90 degrees scatter plot: Neutrophils and eosinophils were clearly separated in human, monkey, guinea pig, swine and rat subjects. The eosinophil cluster was not clearly plotted in marmoset, dog, or rabbit. 0 degree/10 degrees scatter plot: Regarding this plot for monocytes and lymphocytes, cells were plotted in the following order in all subjects: lymphocytes < basophils < or = monocytes in the 0 degree (size) scatter; and lymphocytes [symbol: see text] monocytes < or = basophils in the 10 degrees (complexity) scatter. Compared to other species, the rat scatter showed a tendency to overlapping plots in both the 0 degree and 10 degrees scatters in the monocyte and lymphocyte clusters. In both dog and guinea pig, the monocyte and neutrophil plots overlapped in the 0 degree and 10 degrees scatters. Basobox: In the human and rabbit subjects, the basophil cluster was plotted within the established basobox, but no clear cell cluster was plotted in the other subjects. As a result of comparing the percentage values for leukocytes in various species obtained by using the CD3500 apparatus versus the corresponding values obtained manually, good correspondence was found in the monkey, and eosinophils in the marmoset were lower with CD3500 than manually. In the rabbit, the mean measured value for basophils matched in the manual and CD3500 findings. In the guinea pig, the CD3500 values were lower than the manual values for lymphocytes, but higher for monocytes and neutrophils. The above findings suggest that the laser multi-angle polarized light scattering separation method is indeed capable of analyzing leukocytes from various species based on cell size and cell complexity, i.e., the presence or absence of nuclei, granules and cell enclosures.     

Effect of disodium cromoglycate on cutaneous basophil anaphylaxis

Cutaneous basophil anaphylaxis (CBA) was elicited by intradermal rechallenge of cutaneous basophil hypersensitivity (CBH) sites in guinea pigs sensitized 7 days previously with keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH). The antiallergy agent disodium cromoglycate (DSCG), administered i.v. immediately before rechallenge, inhibited the increased vasopermeability (measured by tissue dye uptake) and basophil degranulation (measured by light microscopic counts of intact basophils) characteristic of the CBA reaction. The antihistamine mepyramine, administered orally, inhibited vasopermeability but not basophil degranulation. The component contributed by DSCG inhibition of mast cell degranulation to the overall inhibition of the reaction was found to be minimal, since intact mast cells were found to be depleted at CBH sites and totally absent at CBA sites from animals treated with DSCG. Electron microscopic examination of basophils at CBA sites from DSCG-treated animals revealed the presence of ruffled perigranular membranes and enlarged perigranular spaces, but both the formation of degranulation sacs and the subsequent fusion of granule sac membranes with the plasma membrane were inhibited. DSCG also inhibited the vasopermeability and basophil degranulation of the CBA reaction elicited by KLH at day 14 and by C5a at day 7. When a basophil-enriched leucocyte preparation from KLH-sensitized guinea pigs was studied in vitro, DSCG inhibited both antigen-induced and C5a-induced basophil degranulation at 10(-5) and 10(-4) M. DSCG failed to inhibit the vasopermeability and the mast cell degranulation produced by either intradermal C5a or intradermal compound 48/80. These results indicate that anaphylactic degranulation of basophils, but not mast cells, is inhibited by DSCG in the guinea pig. This inhibition appears to take place independent of stimulus at an early stage of granule membrane fusion.     

Ultrastructural localization of complex carbohydrates in odontoblasts, predentin, and dentin

Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) and glycoproteins (GPs) are essential components for dentinogenesis. We have examined rat odontoblasts, predentin, and dentin decalcified with EDTA and stained with: 1) Spicer's hig-iron diamine-thiocarbohydrazide-silver proteinate (HID-TCH-SP) method for sulfated glycoconjugates, and 2) Thiéry's periodate-thiocarbohydrazide-silver proteinate (PA-TCH-SP) method for vicinal glycol-containing glycoconjugates. HIS-TCH-SP stained distended portions of Golgi saccules and secretory granules. The predentin contained three times the number of HID-TCH-SP stain precipitates when compared to the mineralization front of the dentin matrix. PA-TCH-SP weakly stained membranes of Golgi saccules and cisternae of rough endoplasmic reticulum (RER), whereas stronger staining was observed in secretory granules, lysosomes, and multivesicular bodies (MVBs). Collagen fibrils in predentin demonstrated moderate PA-TCH-SP staining. In contrast, strong PA-TCH-SP staining was observed on and between collagen fibrils in the mineralization front of the dentin matrix. TCH-SP controls of unosmicated specimens lacked significant staining, however, osmicated control specimens did contain some TCH-SP stain deposits in the mineralization front. These results indicate that sulfated and vicinal glycol-containing glycoconjugates are packaged in the same type of secretory granule and released into the extracellular matrix; subsequently vicinal glycol-containing glycoconjugates concentrate in the calcification front, whereas sulfated glycoconjugates accumulate in the predentin and are either removed or masked to staining in the dentin.     

IgE antibody-mediated cutaneous basophil hypersensitivity reactions in guinea pigs

Cutaneous basophil hypersensitivity (CBH) reactions are a heterogeneous group of delayed time course basophil-rich immune responses that can be mediated in the guinea pig by T cells, B cells, or IgG1 antibody. This study examined whether guinea pig IgE antibody could also mediate CBH reactions. IgE antibody to picryl or oxazolone determinants was induced by immunizing Hartley strain guinea pigs pretreated with cyclophosphamide. Hyperimmune serum from these animals was passed through a heavy chain-specific anti-IgG1 affinity column. The presence of IgE anti-hapten antibody in the filtrate fraction was verified by passive cutaneous anaphylaxis (PCA) testing with a 7-day period of local passive sensitization and by the heat lability (56 degrees C, 4 hr) of PCA activity. This IgE-rich fraction and the IgG1 fraction eluted from the column with base (0.2 M Na2CO3, pH 11.3) were transferred i.v. to separate groups of normal guinea pigs. Both fractions mediated delayed time course reactions that contained basophils. Macroscopic and microscopic reactions mediated by the IgE-rich fraction were abolished with heat (56 degrees C, 4 hr). Thus, two antigen-specific factors in guinea pig serum can mediate delayed time course basophil-containing reactions: IgG1 and IgE antibodies. IgE-mediated CBH reactions are similar to the late-phase reaction that follows IgE-dependent wheal-and-flare reactions in humans. The finding that guinea pig IgE can mediate a late reaction that contains basophils makes this a possible model for the human late-phase response, and suggests that some forms of CBH may play a role in human allergic disease.     

Rejection of ticks from guinea pigs by anti-hapten-antibody-mediated degranulation of basophils at cutaneous basophil hypersensitivity sites: role of mediators other than histamine

Previous studies have established that recruitment of basophils to sites of tick feeding in guinea pigs is required to effect immune resistance. In the current study, actively sensitized guinea pigs treated three times daily with H-1 (mepyramine) and H-2 (cimetidine) histamine receptor antagonists, during the challenge tick infestation period, expressed normal resistance to Amblyomma americanum larvae. Similarly, naive guinea pigs treated with anti-histamines four times daily, beginning 7 days before transfer of immune serum and tick challenge and continuing through the tick infestation period, also expressed normal antibody-mediated resistance to A. americanum. These results indicated that histamine was not an important basophil mediator of the resistance response. Ticks allowed to feed on tissue rich in basophils that were induced by sensitization and subsequent local challenge with non-tick protein antigen, keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH), expressed normal yield. Ticks that fed on similar tissue rich in basophils induced by sensitization and challenge with KLH, in which the basophils expressed anti-picryl specificity due to systemic passive transfer of anti-picryl antibodies, were rejected when basophils were induced to degranulate by i.v. challenge with picryl antigen at 6 hr (29% rejection), 12 hr (18% rejection), 24 hr (22% rejection), and 48 hr (37% rejection) post-tick attachment. However, basophil degranulation at 18, 72 and 96 hr post-tick attachment had no adverse effect on tick feeding. These hosts were protected from systemic anaphylaxis by treatment with the anti-histamine mepyramine. Release of histamine occurred at tick feeding sites, but vasoactive effects were blocked by mepyramine treatment as evidenced by a lack of increased vascular permeability (bluing) at these sites compared with non-tick-infested tissues, or to cutaneous basophil hypersensitivity (CBH) sites of animals not protected with mepyramine. These results indicate that local recruitment and subsequent degranulation of basophils via immune mechanisms dependent on non-tick antigens can lead to tick rejection, and that basophil-derived mediators other than histamine are involved in this immune resistance response to A. americanum ticks. The identity of the crucial basophil mediator(s) is not known. The significant susceptibility of ticks to basophil-mediator release at 6 to 12 hr and 24 to 48 hr post-attachment coincides with the tick attaching and fast-feeding phases, respectively, suggesting that these phases of tick parasitism are particularly susceptible to the effect of basophil mediators other than histamine.     

Cytochemical observations of coelomocytes from the earthworm, Lumbricus terrestris.

Synopsis Coelomocytes of the earthworm,Lumbricus terrestris, were stained by cytochemical techniques to determine the biochemical composition of the seven different cell types and subtypes. The enzymes acid phosphatase and -glucuronidase are present in all types of coelomocytes, but are especially abundant in basophils and neutrophils; the differences in enzyme amounts correlate well with the differences in phagocytic activity of the various cell types. No peroxidase is present. The cytoplasmic basophilia of basophils is due primarily to ribonucleic acid. Basophils also contain large deposits of glycogen, with neutrophils and chloragogen cells containing somewhat lesser amounts. The predominant granules of the two types of acidophils and of granulocytes are composed of a basic protein and a neutral mucopolysaccharide or glycoprotein. A second granule population, present in low numbers in acidophils and granulocytes, but in larger numbers in basophils and neutrophils, is small in size and lipid-positive and may, in part, represent lysosomes.Lipid is especially abundant in the vesicles and granules of the two types of chloragogen cells. Some granules of chloragogen cells also contain ferrous and ferric iron and a substance with pseudoperoxidase activity. The cytoplasm contains protein, glycogen, and a neutral mucopolysaccharide. In addition, acid mucopolysaccharides are variably present in the cytoplasm of chloragogen cells, the only coelomocytes to contain this class of substances.     

Cytochemical localization of glycoconjugates in rat peritoneal mast cells during degranulation

Summary Cytochemical methods for the localization of glycoconjugates including concanavalin A-horseradish peroxidase (ConA-HRP) and dialysed iron were used to study the distribution of glycoconjugates in mast cell granules during degranulation. The ConA-HRP method revealed intense staining of discharged mast cell granules. Dialysed iron staining was seen at the granule periphery, with extruded granules exhibiting more intense staining than undischarged granules.Some of the work reported herein was performed in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a Ph.D. degree.     

The pathological study of enterosiderosis in guinea pigs

Enterosiderosis in both SPF Hartley guinea pigs and vitamin C-deficient animals of the same strain were studied by light and electron microscopy. Enterosiderosis was detected in all animals in the present study. Macrophages, inclosing yellowish-brown pigments and erythrocytes, appeared in the lamina propria of the intestinal mucosa, mainly in the cecum. These pigments in the macrophages were positive for Prussian blue, PAS and the Nile blue reaction. Residual bodies containing highly electron-dense ferritin-like particles, lipofuscin granules and debris of phagocytized erythrocytes were found by electron microscopy in the macrophages. In vitamin C-deficient guinea pigs, the number of macrophages, including the same above pigments, appeared in the lamina propria of the intestinal mucosa, and there was severe enterosiderosis. In the absorptive cells of the intestinal mucous membrane, granules positive for the Prussian blue reaction appeared only in the duodenum. These findings strongly suggest that the pigments in the macrophages in enterosiderosis of the guinea pigs were mixtures of iron and lipofuscin granules and that the iron is derived from erythrocytes phagocytized by macrophages in the lamina propria, but not from iron absorbed by epithelial cells.     

Hematoxylin as a Pituitary Stain

The accurate picture of the acidophil granules of the anterior pituitary which is provided by iron hematoxylin can be combined with the differential staining of the basophils by either the periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) or combined aldehyde-fuchsin-PAS procedures. To accomplish this the two stages of the iron hematoxylin technique are separated so that mordanting in iron alum precedes and application of hematoxylin follows the basophil procedures.     

Subcellular localization of complex carbohydrates in rat macrophages and monocytes.

Methods for visualization of complex carbohydrates ultrastructurally were employed to study specific organelles of the rat monocyte and macrophage. Vicinal glycols of glycoconjugates were demonstrated with the periodic acid-thiocarbohydrazide-silver proteinate (PA-TCH-SP) postembedding sequence and acid groups were delineated by the dialyzed iron (DI) and high iron diamine (HID) preembedding techniques. Lysosomal bodies were generally found reactive with all three methods, although those of monocytes from the bone marrow and peripheral blood were notably lacking in acidic groups. The Golgi complex was consistently PA-TCH-SP-reactive, as were associated vesicles and occasional cisternal expansions, possibly related to GERL. Numerous cytoplasmic vesicles and small granulated structures and cisternae of the rough endoplasmic reticulum were also PA-TCH-SP-reactive.     

Colonic basophil hypersensitivity

Contact hypersensitivity reactions were elicited by intraluminal application of DNCB to the colon of guinea pigs and were found sometimes to contain large infiltrates of basophils. These colonic basophil hypersensitivity reactions were accompanied by systemic sensitization and were not seen in nonspecific colonic inflammatory responses induced by croton oil. The heterogenous immune inflammatory responses induced in the colon by DNCB contact sensitivity may serve as a model for the study of inflammatory bowel disease.     

Xenopsylla cheopis: cellular expression of hypersensitivity in guinea pigs

Guinea pigs multiply exposed to Xenopsylla cheopis adult fleas exhibited marked blood basophil responses to challenge infestation with only minor changes in blood eosinophil levels. Dermal responses to flea feeding were marked by dominant neutrophil (52% of the infiltrate) and eosinophil (32%) accumulations 24 hr after primary feeding, with a weak basophil response (11%). However, after challenge feeding 14 days later, eosinophils dominated, representing 59% of the infiltrate with basophils comprising 30% of the cellular response; neutrophils were rare (7%). Mast cells did not exhibit any increases in density during either the primary or secondary infestation, representing 4-7% of the infiltrate. These results demonstrate that flea feeding induces systemic and local basophil responses as demonstrated for all hematophagous arthropods examined so far. Flea feeding success was not adversely affected by feeding on homologously hypersensitized guinea pigs or guinea pigs sensitized by Ornithodoros parkeri feeding. However, basophil responses at flea feeding sites in heterologous (tick) sensitized animals were more basophilic (26 +/- 4 cells/0.03-mm2 area) than feeding sites in homologous (flea) sensitized hosts (9 +/- 6 cells). Furthermore, primary tick feeding sites become erythematous and indurated after flea feeding on the opposite flank, and were marked histologically by strong basophil abscess (276 +/- 56 cells/0.03-mm2 area); primary flea feeding sites were not activated by tick challenge feeding. These cross-generic challenge feeding experiments suggest antigen cross-reactivity, resulting in activation of feeding sites of a heterologous arthropod.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)