Heterophile Ophthalmic Anaphylaxis. ∗

Abstract

It would be of convenience to clinical allergists if conclusive experimental evidence were available in support of the postulated qualitative differences between synchronous, homologous, specific “antibodies” in different organs, tissues and body fluids of the same individual. Such differences are suggested by several recent laboratory studies, particularly by Cook and Spain's 1 alleged qualitatively different smooth muscle and cutaneous sensitizins in human serums, and by Schamburow's 2 alleged “reflex ocular immunity,” specific agglutinins with the power of elective localization in the normal eye.

Seegal and Seegal 3 have recently demonstrated that a strictly local ophthalmic sensitivity can be produced in rabbits by the local injection of adequate sensitizing doses of routine antigens. This sensitivity is sufficient to give a specific unilateral ophthalmic allergy on intravenous injection with the same antigen. We have applied the Seegal technic to a study of the heterophile relationships between sheep erythrocytes and guinea pig kidney; doses, time intervals and allergic criteria being the same as those employed by them. Preliminary data from 35 rabbits suggest the following tentative conclusions:

(1) Practically all rabbits locally sensitized to sheep erythrocytes or to guinea pig kidney by the Seegal technic give marked unilateral ophthalmic responses on intravenous injection with the homologous antigen. Approximately 75% of them give a demonstrable, though less marked allergic cross-reaction with the heterophile antigen.

(2) Anterior chamber injections of equivalent amounts of the alcohol-extractable lipoids from either antigen will not demonstrably sensitize the rabbit eye, nor is demonstrable sensitivity to either sheep erythrocytes or guinea pig kidney effected by local injection of the same lipoids adsorbed onto an alien protein “carrier” (e. g., swine serum).

(3) Rabbits locally sensitized to either sheep erythrocytes or guinea pig kidney give no demonstrable ophthalmic response on intravenous injection with these lipoids or lipoid-protein complexes, nor does such injection demonstrate “desensitizing” the eye.