ABSTRACT
The differential counts of cells recovered by bronchoalveolar lavage from guinea pigs sensitized and challenged with ovalbumin by the endotracheal procedure showed a gradual eosinophilia with continuous rising of eosinophil numbers, which reached a statistical significance at 24 hours. Accumulation of eosinophils in BAL fluid (BALF) in association with the late phase of the bronchoconstrictor response to allergen bronchoprovocation may indicate a causative role for these cells. Eosinophils in BAL from asthmatic patients differ from normal eosinophils in that they show degranulation and loss of granule cationic proteins and are recognized as hypodense eosinophils. Only one of the monoclonal antibodies was found to be suitable for use in immunocytochemistry. Aerosol exposure after endotracheal intubation offers a direct route to the lower airways, which more closely mimics experimental exposure to allergen in human studies, and provides a suitable model of allergic airways disease as deducted from pulmonary function and cellular infiltration studies.
