Prominence of γδ T cells in the elicitation phase of dinitrochlorobenzene-induced contact hypersensitivity in lambs

Immunohistochemical techniques were used to identify T-cell subpopulations in the ear skin of lambs during the elicitation phase of dinitrochlorobenzene (DCNB)-induced contact hypersensitivity. Thirty lambs (21-26 weeks of age) were divided into groups of 10. The shaved right ear of one group was treated with DNCB. Two weeks later, this group was challenged with DNCB. One group was treated with the vehicle alone, and the remaining group was left untreated. The lambs were killed 48 hours after challenge, and tissue specimens were collected from the ears of the three groups. There was an increase in T-cell populations in the skin of the DNCB-treated lambs 48 hours after challenge. The majority of the T cells were CD8(+) and associated predominantly with the blood vessels and adnexa of the superficial dermis. There was also an increased presence of CD4(+) cells and gamma delta T cells in the superficial dermis. In the epidermis, clusters of gamma delta T cells and CD4(+) cells were associated with microlesions. Computer-assisted morphometric analysis was used to estimate the relative presence of the T-cell subpopulations in the superficial and deep dermis and the entire dermis. Statistical analysis of the relative area of immunostaining showed that the significant increases in all T-cell subpopulations (CD4(+), CD8(+), and gamma delta T cells) in the entire dermis were accounted for by changes in the superficial dermis. The prominence of gamma delta T cells in delayed-type hypersensitivity in the skin of domestic ruminants has been the subject of conflicting reports. In the present study, CD4(+) cell and gamma iota T-cell populations were of similar size in the normal and DNCB-treated lambs, suggesting an equal participation in the elicitation phase of contact hypersensitivity.