An attempt was made to produce immune complex vasculitis in piglets, hoping to produce as an experimental Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) animal model by administrating foreign protein, mimicking Kawasaki Disease (KD). Systemic type III hypersensitivity reaction by horse serum injection with clinical implication to CAD in KD was reported only in rabbits. Our study group consisted 22 pure bred male piglets of 1.5, 2 and 3 months of age. They were divided into control group (n=6) receiving 2 doses of intravenous normal saline, and test group A (n=8), receiving 2 doses at 10 days interval of virus and mycoplasma negative gamma globulin free horse serum (HS), 2.6gm (5ml) and 5.2gm (10ml) protein/Kg body weight, respectively, test group B (n=8) received 3 doses at 5 days interval of HS, 5.2gm protein/Kg body weight. Blood samples were collected for white blood cells, platelets, vascular endothelial growth factor, liver enzymes, cholesterol and haptoglobin. Both the test groups developed rashes, echocardiographic coronary artery dilatation and histopathological changes, whereas none of the control group developed immunopathological response. All the animals were sacrificed for the histopathological, and immuno histochemistry study at different dates after the second HS injection. There were asymmetric inflammatory coronary arteritis, such as intimal proliferation, necrosis, vacuolisation, smooth muscle cells proliferation and oedematous changes in arterial walls. The piglets, which received at 5 days interval of 3 doses of HS, manifested more skin rashes and histopathological changes in the coronary arteries than those received two doses at 10 days interval. Serum sickness is a prototype of immune complex vasculitis, it is concluded that swine may serve as an experimental model for CAD mimicking KD, for testing the efficacy of pharmacologic therapies.
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