Study on process of rabbit arthritis by immunization of E.coli 0:14 strain

本文研究了大肠杆菌0：14免疫的关节炎兔的病理变化。短期(4个月)免疫后，可见滑膜衬里细胞增生(20/32，62.5%)，滑膜下层水肿性改变(16/32，50.0%)，滑膜浅层纤维蛋白沉积(19/32，59.4%)。在长期(8-10个月)免疫后，这些表现变得更加明显，增生(29膝，80.6%)，水肿性改变(26膝，75.0%)，纤维蛋白沉积(22膝，61.1%)。其间还发现血管疙瘩样组织(10膝/36膝，27.8%)和软骨浅层变性(8膝/36膝，22.2%)。在这些滑膜中，长期免疫后的22膝(61.1%)显著高于短期免疫后的10膝(31.3%)(P&lt；0.05)。免疫后3周血清中出现类风湿因子样物质(RFLS)。治疗15周后，22只兔中有20只(90.9%)RFLS阳性。关于RFLS的出现时间或最初出现的时间有两种模式。免疫后8周前出现RFLS组滑膜淋巴细胞浸润明显多于免疫后8周出现RFLS阳性组。这些发现表明，兔的关节炎情况与类风湿性关节炎非常相似。该动物模型有助于了解该病的发病机制。

Pathological changes of arthritic rabbits immunized with E.coli 0:14 have been studied. After short term (4 months) immunization, hyperplasia of synovial lining cells (20 knees out of 32, 62.5%), edematous change of the sublining layer(16 knees out of 32, 50.0%) and fibrinoid deposition in the superficial layer of the synovium (19 knees out of 32, 59.4%) observed in the synovium of the rabbits knees. After long term (8 - 10 months) immunization, these findings, hyperplasia (29 knees out of 36, 80.6%), edematous change (26 knees out of 36, 75.0%), and fibrinoid deposition (22 knees out of 36, 61 1%) became more remarkable. In this period, pannus like tissue (10 knees out of 36: 27.8%) and degeneration of superficial layer of cartilage (8 knees out of 36, 22.2%) were also found. In these synovium, lymphocyte infiltration following long term immunization was noted in 22 knees out of 36(61.1%) which was significantly higher (P<0.05) than in 10 knees out of 32(31.3%) following short term immunization. In the serum of the immunized rabbits, rheumatoid factor-like substance (RFLS) appeared 3 weeks after the initial treatment. RFLS was positive in 20 rabbits out of 22 (90.9%) at 15 weeks after the initial treatment. There were two patterns concerning the time or the initial appearance of RFLS. Lymphocyte infiltration in the synovium occurred significantly more frequently in the group in which RFLS appeared before 8 weeks of immunization than in that with RFLS positive after 8 weeks. These findings suggested that arthritic conditions of the rabbits were quite similar to those of rheumatoid arthritis. This animal model is useful in understanding the pathogenesis of this disease.