Flare-up of allergic contact dermatitis in the mouse after topical distant provocation.

Flare-up of contact dermatitis after exposure to the antigen on another skin area was studied in the mouse. Animals were sensitized and challenged with picryl chloride. After healing, the ear dermatitis flared up following provocation on abdominal skin. Likewise, nickel-sensitized mice flared in one ear when exposed to the antigen on the other ear. This model could be of use in pathogenetic studies on secondary eruptions which occur so frequently in contact dermatitis.