Comparison of mouse strain skin sensitivities to anaphylactic mediators and susceptibility to passive cutaneous anaphylactic reactions.

CFW, ICR, and C57Bl/6J mouse strains were examined and compared for their levels of skin sensitivity to histamine and mellitin (a potent mast cell degranulator) and for their susceptibilities to immunoglobulin E-induced passive cutaneous anaphylactic (PCA) reactions. ICR mice were found to exhibit the highest level of sensitivity to histamine and mellitin, whereas C57Bl/6J exhibited the least. CFW mice proved to be the best PCA recipients, whereas ICR mice were the poorest. On the basis of this evidence, no direct correlation is indicated between level of sensitivity to anaphylactic mediators and degree of susceptibility to immunoglobulin E-induced PCA reactions.