EXPERIMENTALLY INDUCED AUTOIMMUNIZATION DISEASE OF THE THYROID

Studies were undertaken to determine whether cretinism could be produced in rabbits born to immunized does with autoimmune thyroditis. Although anti-thyroid antibodies crossed the placenta of the rabbit and disappeared from the serum of the neonates by 7 weeks of age, the growth curves and thyroid h...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Pediatrics (Evanston) 1962-06, Vol.29 (6), p.961-967
Main Authors: Chandler, R. W., Kyle, M. A., Hung, W., Blizzard, Robert M.
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:Studies were undertaken to determine whether cretinism could be produced in rabbits born to immunized does with autoimmune thyroditis. Although anti-thyroid antibodies crossed the placenta of the rabbit and disappeared from the serum of the neonates by 7 weeks of age, the growth curves and thyroid histology of the newborns were normal. Passive immunization of normal does at 20 and 21 days of gestation was not associated with placental transfer of antibodies although transfer occurred at 30 days gestation. The possibility that the short time interval of exposure of the fetal thyroid to antibodies accounted for the failure of thyroid damage to occur was investigated. The role of cellular antibodies was also investigated by injecting lymphoid cells from immunized adult rabbits into newborns. No thyroid damage or serum antibodies were produced. The possible explanations for failure to obtain thyroid damage by circulating antibodies in newborn rabbits are discussed.
ISSN:0031-4005
1098-4275
DOI:10.1542/peds.29.6.961