Experimental allergic encephalomyelitis in resistant and susceptible guinea pigs: in vivo and in vitro correlates.

Strain 2 guinea pigs develop less severe experimental allergic encephalomyelitis than do strain 13 and Hartley guinea pigs when sensitized with equivalent amounts of homologous myelin basic protein (BP) in complete Freund's adjuvant. In vivo and in vitro correlates of delayed hypersensitivity to myelin basic protein are depressed in the strain 2 guinea pigs relative to the two susceptible strains. The incidence of circulating anti-BP antibodies is also lower in sera from strain 2 guinea pigs than in sera from strain 13 or Hartley guinea pigs. There was no difference among the three strains in their ability to mount delayed hypersensitivity to tuberculin, nor in the response of their cells to PHA in vitro.