Immediate Hypersensitivity Reactions in the Cornea of the Guinea Pig

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Abstract
Summary: Guinea pigs sensitized to a stage of Arthus skin response developed corneal opacification following careful intracorneal injection of small doses of the inciting protein antigen. The “Wessely ring,” representing precipitated antigen-antibody complexes and inflammatory cells in the avascular cornea, is rarely seen as a primary manifestation of immediate corneal sensitivity in the guinea pig. More commonly, a diffuse interstitial clouding accompanied by a limbal inflammatory response is seen. This must not be interpreted as a manifestation of delayed sensitivity since it can be reproduced passively with humoral antibody. An identical quantity of Evans blue dye is more rapidly removed from the cornea of the guinea pig than from the cornea of the rabbit. The anatomic make-up of the normal guinea pig's cornea is believed to account for this discrepancy.

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