Renal disease associated with positive lupus erythematosus tests in a cross-bred strain of mice.

Abstract

A STRAIN of mice NZB/BL suffering from an autoimmune type of haemolytic anaemia has been described1,2. Since then it has been shown that approximately 4 per cent of this strain have positive lupus erythematosus cell tests and that many of the animals show renal changes resembling those seen in human systemic lupus erythematosus2,3. In this paper it was also shown that F1 and F2 progeny derived from a cross between mice of the NZB/BL and the NZY/BL strains showed a low incidence of haemolytic anaemia but 25 per cent of the animals had positive lupus erythematosus cell tests and all had renal changes resembling lupus nephritis. These animals died from renal failure within 18–24 months of age.