Polyarteritis Nodosa-like Disease in Outbred Mice

Abstract

Helyer and Howie¹ described a disease of NZB/BL × NZY/BL and NZB/BL × NZW/BL F₁ hybrid mice closely resembling human systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in renal histology. A breeding nucleus of these mice was provided by Drs. F. and M. Bielschowsky and Dr. Howie, to allow confirmation of their histological findings. Similar lesions were found in NZB/BL mice, although the age of onset is later than in the B × W hybrids. Outbred albino Palmerston North (PN) mice, initially intended as controls, showed renal and arterial lesions more closely resembling human polyarteritis nodosa than SLE. A comparison of the two types of lesion is summarized in Table 1. Spontaneous arteritic lesions have been described in rats by Skold² and in mink by Leader³. Deringer⁴ has described arteritis of the ovarian and small bowel arteries in BL/De mice, but generalized spontaneous arteritis in mice does not appear to have been described previously.