[Immunopathogenesis of the Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada syndrome].

Regarding immunopathogenesis of the Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada syndrome (VKHS), peripheral blood lymphocytes of a female patient with this disease were tested for sensitization against several antigens such as myelinic basic protein (BP) and uveoretinal, brain and spleen tissue homogenates. For comparison, cells of seven patients with chorioretinitis only and cells of six patients with encephalitis of unknown etiology were also tested. Cells of healthy donors served as controls. The electromobility test and the leucocyte migration test were used as in vitro test systems for cell-mediated immunological reactivity. The results show a strong sensitivity against BP and uveoretinal and brain tissue homogenates in VKHS. In the patients suffering from chorioretinitis, a strong reactivity against uveoretinal homogenate only was found, while in patients with encephalitis, responses to brain antigens only were observed. Reactions towards spleen tissue homogenate were negative in all experiments. The extent to which this tissue-specific immunological reactivity, which is different from the monoreactivity in chorioretinitis or encephalitis, might be a characteristic phenomenon of the VKHS is discussed.