The immunologic and physiologic status of a group of symptomatic and asymptomatic pigeon breeders was studied in an attempt to define the immunologic events occurring in pigeon breeders' disease. Antibody activity to antigen(s) present in pigeon dropping extract (PDE) and pigeon serum (PS) was detected in the serum of both symptomatic and asymptomatic breeders. Antibody activity, however, tended to be greater in the symptomatic pigeon breeders. When subjects were challenged with PS via aerosol, serum complement activity became depressed only in asymptomatic patients. Cellular hypersensitivity to antigens present in PDE was detected in vitro in peripheral lymphocyte populations of 4 of 5 symptomatic breeders and in none of the asymptomatic breeders; cellular hypersensitivity to antigens in PS was not demonstrated in any of the individuals tested. These findings indicate that cell-mediated hypersensitivity, as well as humoral immunologic processes, may be involved in the pathogenesis of the hypersensitivity pneumonitis found in pigeon breeders.
