The disease of the NZB mouse. I. Examination of ovum fusion-derived tetraparental NZB:CFW chimaeras

It has previously been proposed that the autoimmune disease of the inbred NZB mouse is due to an age-related failure of a normal autoimmune control mechanism. Ovum fusion-derived tetraparental NZB: CFW chimaeras have been used to investigate this hypothesis since it was anticipated that the autoimmune control process present in the CFW would inhibit the development of the classic progressive autoimmune NZB disease. This view is supported since although certain chimaeras developed positive direct Coombs' test (DCT) reactions, evidence suggests that the NZB disease has been inhibited and furthermore it appears that these reactions reflect graft-versus-host (g-v-h) activity in the chimaeras.