Chronic Allograft Rejection in the Iguana Ctenosaura pectinata

Adult male and female iguanas, Ctenosaura pectinata, were auto- and allografted. Skin allografts and autografts behaved like those of other vertebrates; they healed in initially but allografts later showed signs of rejection recognized mainly by pigment cell destruction. At 25°C chronic rejection of first-set allografts in the iguana, as indicated by the survival times, is more like the rejection pattern of urodeles and apodans than that of anuran amphibians or fishes. The data support a view that allograft rejection is by an immune process since accelerated rejection of some second-set grafts occurred while the rest showed enhanced survival. In addition, an inflammatory response, characterized by lymphocytic infiltration, was always associated with destroyed grafts.