Homoimmune Uveitis in the Guinea Pig

Abstract

Introduction Autoimmunity. —The general concept of autoimmunity probably was first postulated by von Pirquet in 1903. 1 This idea was adapted to ocular inflammations by Golowin 2 in 1910. Since then, wide experimental applications have been made. One human disease, Hashimoto's thyroiditis, 3,4 seems to have supported this hypothesis. Identification of a specific circulating autoantibody in other diseases has not been possible. The concept of autoinduced disease is based on the theory that a tissue can reject one or a combination of its component parts. Activation occurs through an immune pathway, with elaboration of antibody to the specific antigen. Initially it was believed that such antigens were isolated from the general body mechanisms by a fairly impermeable barrier, such as the position of cells within the lens capsule 5 and the intraluminal position of mature sperm. 6 Later studies suggested that tissues normally are not antigenic, but somehow are altered,