Nasal sensitization,nasal anaphylactic shock and respiratory symptoms simulating bronchial asthma,in the guinea pig. ∗

Abstract

Several years ago, one of us, 1 in a clinical study of asthma in children, felt that there was strong evidence for the idea that asthma may be an “acquired” disease, and in some cases the result of sensitization through the nasal route.

Insofar as it is impossible to study the mechanism of this condition in the human being, we have applied our hypotheses to direct investigation in the guinea pig. This animal was chosen for our experiments because of the ease with which respiratory anaphylactic phenomena can be elicited.

We have found certain corroborative evidence for our results in the works of Busson and Ogata, 2 Friedberger, 3 Peragnani, 4 Sewall and Powell, 5 and Giani. 6

Our results may be divided into three groups:

1. Guinea pigs were sensitized by exposing them to the dust of dried horse dander; subsequent intravenous injection of a protein extract of this same horse dander caused death.

2. Animals sensitized by giving them intraperitoneal injections of horse dander extract have subsequently shown grave anaphylactic phenomena and, also acute anaphylactic death when exposed to horse dander dust.

3. Animals sensitized by exposing them to horse dander subsequently exhibited marked respiratory anaphylactic phenomena when subjected to the same horse dander dust.

This latter group of animals, which at no time had received parenteral injections of the protein extract of horse dander, have presented symptoms that are comparable to the bronchial asthma of human beings. These guinea pigs have come in contact with the horse dander dust in the same manner that a human being might, for at no time was the horse dander forcibly injected into their nares.

Several animals that had previously been sensitized by an intraperitoneal injection of horse dander, died within two to four minutes after having been put in the cage containing circulating horse dander dust.