Multiple antigen challenge produces pulmonary eosinophilia but not pulmonary hyperresponsiveness in actively sensitized guinea pigs.

Exposure of actively sensitized boosted guinea pigs to aerosolized antigen, 3 times on alternate days, produced pulmonary eosinophilia but not pulmonary hyperresponsiveness to methacholine Cl measured 3 days after the last antigen challenge. These data suggest that the presence of large numbers of eosinophils in the airways and tissues of the lungs is not sufficient to produce nonspecific pulmonary hyperresponsiveness. These data also suggest that actively sensitized and boosted guinea pigs respond differently to repeated antigen exposure than do asthmatics or wild caught allergic cynomolgus monkeys.