Rheumatoid factor production in 129/Sv mice: involvement of an intestinal infectious agent.

High titers of IgG2a-specific rheumatoid factors (RF) are frequently observed in colonies of 129/Sv mice. The involvement of a transmissible agent in this phenomenon was shown by the following findings: (i) cesarean-derived and isolator-reared offsprings of RF-positive dams were free of RF, ii) a single intragastric inoculation with intestinal fluid from RF-positive donors elicited chronic RF production in RF-negative recipients, and iii) intestinal fluid collected from these primary recipients induced a comparable RF response in a second set of animals. The nature of this RF-inducing agent, however, remained elusive. Although its ability to pass through filters that efficiently retained bacteria could be unequivocally established, systematic serological analysis failed to detect any significant correlation between RF production and antibody responses to common mouse viruses or Mycoplasma. Moreover, all attempts to identify the RF-inducing agent by electron microscopy or to grow it in nude or newborn mice, as well as in cell cultures, remained unsuccessful.