Induction of chronic polyarthritis in rabbits by hyperimmunization with Escherichia coli. I. Pathologic and serologic...

Hyperimmunization of 147 rabbits (outbred Japanese white rabbits and New Zealand white [NZW] rabbits bred in a closed colony) with heat-killed Escherichia coli 0:14 in Freund's incomplete adjuvant resulted in the animals developing a chronic polyarthritis resembling rheumatoid arthritis (RA). While both Japanese white and NZW rabbits showed a high incidence of the induced arthritis, a higher proportion of NZW rabbits developed the disease, suggesting that genetic influence is important in the development of RA-like illness. This experimental model may be useful for the study of RA.