The day-3 thymectomy model for induction of multiple organ-specific autoimmune diseases.

Autoimmune diseases of the ovary and the stomach are major components of the murine autoimmune polyendocrinopathy syndrome that occurs following experimental perturbation of the normal immune system. Several methods of perturbation can lead to autoimmune disease, and the disease occurs in multiple organs in association with autoantibodies to tissue-specific antigen of the respective organs. The autoimmune diseases develop in a variety of laboratory mouse strains that are not prone to spontaneous autoimmune diseases. This unit describes the induction of autoimmune disease of the ovary and the stomach in mice by thymectomy at the age of day 3 (day-3 thymectomy) and methods for evaluating disease histologically and serologically.