Morphological and morphometric studies of the airways of sheep with acute airway hypersensitivity to inhaled Ascaris suum.

The airways of 12 sheep with naturally-occurring allergic airway hypersensitivity, six of which had changes in both airway resistance and dynamic lung compliance (Group A) and six of which had changes in only dynamic lung compliance (Group B), were compared quantitatively with six non-reacting sheep (Group C) in order to examine the relation between airway hypersensitivity and various morphological features thought to be related to airway hypersensitivity. Compared to the non-reacting sheep (Group C), the hypersensitive sheep (Groups A and B) had a thinner epithelium in medium bronchi and bronchioles, fewer goblet cells in bronchioles, and greater gland area at most airway levels. The differences of the gland dimensions and the types of mucosubstance between hypersensitive and non-reacting animals were more variable. No significant differences between the three groups were noted with regard to luminal occlusion or epithelial sloughing and squamous metaplasia. Although there was a positive association between epithelial thickness and goblet cell density in the small airways, the development of allergic airway hypersensitivity in sheep may occur in the absence of major morphological changes in the airway epithelium.