SUPPRESSION OF AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE IN NEW ZEALAND MICE ASSOCIATED WITH INFECTION WITH MALARIA.

Female (NZB × NZW) F1 hybrid (B/W) mice were infected with Plasmodium berghei at the age of 1 month. In contrast to the high mortality from renal disease observed in control female mice of this strain, all of the malaria-infected female mice were alive at 12 months of age and none had any clinical features of severe renal diseases This finding gives some support to the hypothesis that a background of repeated parasitic infection may modify the development of autoimmune disease in man. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]