Arthus phenomenon

Arthus phenomenon, local swelling, redness, and tissue death following skin injection of soluble antigen into a subject previously immunized by a series of similar injections. The tissue damage is a result of the precipitation of antigen–antibody complexes in the walls of the blood vessels; the deposits are then ingested (phagocytosed) by neutrophilic white blood cells. The phenomenon is named for the French physiologist Maurice Arthus (1862–1945).