Responses of the immune system to injury

Three categories of immunotoxic effects are identified: direct immunotoxicity, hypersensitivity, and autoimmunity. Direct immunotoxicity consists of immunosuppression and immunostimulation. Total abrogation of the immune response (immunosuppression) results in more frequent, severe, and often atypical and relapsing infections and lymphomas. Immunostimulation is associated with febrile reactions, the induction/facilitation of autoimmune diseases and allergic reactions to unrelated allergens, and impaired hepatic drug biotransformation. Hypersensitivity is manifested by a variety of symptoms involving either antigen-specific or non-antigen-specific humoral and cellular adverse responses. Autoimmune reactions are divided into organ-specific and systemic reactions. Because of the involvement of many redundant mechanisms, it is difficult to predict responses of the immune system to a given immunotoxic injury. In laboratory animals, histologic but also functional changes are necessary to show evidence of and to predict such adverse responses.