Allergic contact dermatitis in the hamster.

Allergic contact dermatitis to strong, low molecular weight contact allergens can regularly be induced in the hamster. By its clinical course, histopathology and susceptibility to intensification with complete Freund's adjuvant, this hypersensitivity appears congruent with the allergic contact dermatitis observed in other experimental animals and the allergic contact dermatitis seen in humans. Further, in the hamster, we find that pretreatment with cyclophosphamide intensifies the acquisition of allergic contact dermatitis to dinitrochlorobenzene and to oxazolone; the target of cyclophosphamide immunopotentiation has been shown in the mouse and guinea pig to be a regulator suppressor cell. In addition, we have induced in the hamster specific immune tolerance to dinitrochlorobenzene with dinitrobenzene sulfonate; in the mouse and guinea pig it has been demonstrated that the induction of specific immune tolerance to contact allergens by parenteral hapten involves the elaboration of specific suppressor cells. These findings, then, imply the existence of regulatory suppressor cells for T-cell phenomena in the hamster. This contrasts with reports that suppressor cell function in hamsters, as against other rodents, is defective as it relates to the regulation of, for instance, allogeneic reactions, antibody formation and tolerance to contact allergens.