Intraocular IgE antibody induced in guinea pigs with Ascaris suum larvae

The systemic and local (intraocular) IgE antibody responses to infective and heat-killed Ascaris suum larvae were examined in guinea pigs. IgE antibody, demonstrated by the 6-day P-K test, was found in anterior chamber fluid following primary intravitreal injection of live second-stage A. suum larvae and in some instances occurred when no serum P-K activity was demonstrable. No intraocular IgE antibody was induced by primary intravitreal injection of heat-killed larvae. A brisk intraocular and systemic IgE antibody response followed the secondary intravitreal injection of either live or heat-killed larvae into animals systemically infected with A. suum. The guinea pig system promises to be a useful model for studying the immunopathology of human ocular parasite infections.