Prevention of Spontaneous Autoimmune Thyroiditis in the Obese Strain (OS) Chickens by Treatment with a Monoclonal Anti-CD4 Antibody*

Summary Untreated control OS chickens develop spontaneous autoimmune thyroiditis (SAT). In contrast, OS chickens treated with a monoclonal anti-CD4 antibody failed to develop SAT. The preventive effect of anti-CD4 antibody on SAT was associated with the marked depletion of CD4+ T-cells by anti-CD4 treatment. These results indicate that CD4+ T-cells play a crucial role in SAT of OS chickens.