Evidence for a role of anti-idiotypic antibodies in the induction of remission in Graves' disease.

Serum and Ig samples obtained from a patient with Graves' disease during exacerbation and remission were evaluated in the nu/nu bioassay. Blocking of the exacerbation serum's biological activity was demonstrated by several biological assay parameters after it was mixed with the remission serum. Since this blocking effect can be ascribed to immunoglobulins, anti-idiotypic antibodies in the remission serum and immunoglobulin samples are the most likely cause of this blocking effect. Therefore a role of anti-idiotypic antibodies in the induction of remission in Graves' disease is postulated.