Local pulmonary immune responsiveness after multiple antigenic exposures in the cynomolgus monkey

Two cynomolgus monkeys were immunized with sheep red blood cells in the right diaphragmatic lobe (RD) 4 times, 20 days apart. At the time of the fourth immunization, the left diaphragmatic lobe (LD) was also immunized. There were increases in both IgM anti-SRBC antibody-forming cells (AFC) and specific IgG in the RD lobe after each successive challenge. In the fourth challenge, the RD had an increase in anti-SRBC AFC 10-fold that of the LD lobe. The concentration of specific IgG was also higher in the RD lobe. With total protein as an indicator of vascular permeability, the LD had a greater increase in vascular permeability than did the RD. These data suggest that the increased immune responsiveness of the RD after multiple challenges was in part locally derived rather than entirely caused by increased recruitment of immune cells and antibody from the blood.