Progressive loss in vitro of cellular immunity with ageing in strains of mice susceptible to autoimmune disease.
The influence of ageing on the in vitro responses of mouse spleen cells to phytohaemagglutinin and to allogeneic cells was studied in NZB, (NZB×A)F1, A and CBA mice. These responses decline with ageing in those strains which are genetically susceptible to autoimmune disease (NZB, (NZB×A)F1 and A) but not in a non-susceptible strain (CBA). These studies support the view that cellular immunity declines with advancing age in autoimmune-susceptible mice, and suggests that the decline is due to a progressive loss of the thymus-dependent cell pool.