Proportional increase of bursa-derived cells in chickens of the Obese strain

CHICKENS of the Obese strain (OS) spontaneously develop severe autoimmune thyroiditis during the first weeks of life, with clinical signs of hypothyroidism1,2. Serological tests reveal both circulating and bound thyroglobulin autoantibodies3. The lymphoid infiltration of the thyroid gland is characterised by a predominance of plasma cells and the formation of a large number of germinal centres1. In view of the histological and serological features, the spontaneous autoimmune thyroiditis of OS chickens can be considered as an appropriate animal model for human Hashimoto thyroiditis2.