Effect of excising Freund's adjuvant granuloma on subsequent development of experimental allergic arthritis.

Rabbits were immunized with antigen in Freund's complete adjuvant. Several weeks later the granuloma which developed was excised one day before joint challenge with antigen. The subsequent development of experimental allergic arthritis (EAA) was not affected, which argues against the chronicity of the disease being maintained by continuous recruitment of mycobacterial debris to EAA joints.