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. 1965 Oct 1;122(4):681–692. doi: 10.1084/jem.122.4.681

HOMOLOGOUS DISEASE IN THE ADULT RAT, A MODEL FOR AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE

II. FINDINGS IN THE JOINTS, HEART, AND OTHER TISSUES

Peter Stastny 1, Vernie A Stembridge 1, Thomas Vischer 1, Morris Ziff 1
PMCID: PMC2138092  PMID: 5849234

Abstract

Polyarthritis and cardiac lesions have been observed in the adult rat with homologous disease. Changes in the lymphoid tissue and kidney have also been noted. A migratory polyarthritis occurred in over half of the affected animals, and cardiac involvement of varying intensity was present in all. Histologically, the arthritis was characterized by a mononuclear synovial inflammatory reaction. In the heart, the valves and myocardium demonstrated a similar type of response. Cultures of involved joints and hearts for pyogens and pleuropneumonia-like organisms were negative. The lymphoid tissues showed progressive changes in three stages: (a) disappearance of follicles; (b) increase in plasma-like cells and histiocytes; and (c) fibrosis. The second stage tended to coincide with the development of the polyarthritis. The kidney showed mild interstitial mononuclear infiltration. The pathologic changes described appear to be a consequence of reaction between foreign immunologically competent cells and host antigens, but the possibility that these lesions represent a response to antigens derived from unknown infectious agents is, however, not ruled out.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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