Spontaneous circulating immune complex like material in Brown-Norway rats. Role of environmental factors

Brown-Norway rats maintained under conventional housing conditions showed a significant increase in the C1q binding activity of serum and to a lesser extent of the Raji cell assay whereas no change was observed, in BN rats maintained under specific pathogen free (SPF) conditions. Glomerular IgG deposits were encountered among rats with circulating immune complexes (CIC). This suggests that microbiological environment is a major factor in the spontaneous appearance of CIC which could be of pathogenic significance.