Background: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is an eczematous skin eruption that generally begins in early infancy and affects up to 12% of the population. The cause of this disorder is not fully understood, although it is frequently the first sign of atopic disease and is characterized by an elevated serum IgE level, eosinophilia, and histologic tissue changes characterized early by spongiosis and a CD4 + T H 2 cellular infiltrate. Hypersensitivity to foods has been implicated as one causative factor in up to 40% of children with moderate-to-severe AD. Objective: The purpose of this study was to establish a murine model of food-induced AD. Methods: Female C3H/HeJ mice were sensitized orally to cow's milk or peanut with a cholera toxin adjuvant and then subjected to low-grade allergen exposure. Histologic examination of skin lesions, allergen-specific serum Ig levels, and allergen-induced T-cell proliferation and cytokine production were examined. Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a form of eczema that generally begins in early infancy and is characterized by extreme pruritus, chronically relapsing course, and distinctive distribution. AD is often the first sign seen in a child who is prone to atopic disease, with 50% of all AD developing in the first year of life and 80% developing by 5 years of age. 1 In chronic skin lesions the epidermis has moderate-to-marked hyperplasia, with elongation of the rete ridges and prominent hyperkeratosis. Spongiosis is variable, and the numbers of mast cells and Langerhans cells are significantly increased. 2,3 Eosinophils are sparse, although eosinophil products (major basic protein) are prominent. 4 Although the pathogenic role of allergy in AD has been debated for over a century, clinical studies over the past 2 decades have supported the pathogenic role of food allergy in a subset of patients with AD. 5-7 A recent study found that approximately 40% of children with moderate-to-severe AD attending a university dermatology clinic had food hypersensitivity. 7 Other studies delineating the role of IgE-bearing antigen-presenting cells in establishing T H 2 lymphocytic responses 8 and demonstrating the predominant T H 2-lymphocytic infiltrate in acute eczematous lesions 9 have provided further support for the pathogenic role of allergy in AD.Animal models provide powerful tools for dissecting pathogenic mechanisms responsible for various disorders. A number of murine models of asthma have been developed in the past several years that have contributed greatly to our understanding of the immunopathogenesis of allergen-induced asthma. 10-12 Models of antigenassociated AD have been reported in cats and dogs, but because of difficulties with consistent induction of ADlike eruptions and high expense, they have not been widely studied. 13,14 A mouse strain, NC/Nga, has been reported that spontaneously has an AD-like skin lesion and IgE hyperproduction, presumably triggered by environmental factors. 15 More recently, a murine model of AD was described in which BALB/c mice were sensitized to ovalbumin (OVA...