Cutaneous basophil hypersensitivity

Abstract

Cutaneous basophil hypersensitivity (CBH) is a distinct form of lymphocyte-mediated hypersensitivity in guinea pigs, separate both from classic delayed hypersensitivity (DH) and from the well-known antibody-mediated reactions. CBH, not DH, is the usual cellular immune response of this species to a wide variety of immunogens (e.g., allografts, certain parasites, and viruses) when these are presented in native form without supplementation with mycobacteria-containing adjuvants, thus attesting to the importance of this response in the guinea pig's overall immune defense mechanism. Basophil-containing, cell-mediated, delayed-onset reactions occur in other species, including man, as well.