Resistance of Rowett athymic (nude) rats to casein-induced amyloidosis.

: Rowett athymic (nude) rats (n = 18) were injected subcutaneously (36 to 86 injections) or intraperitoneally (10 to 56 injections) with 10% casein solution to attempt to induce amyloidosis. Neither the injected nor the control rats had gross or microscopic evidence of amyloid deposition. Serum beta- and gamma-globulin concentrations were significantly higher in the injected rats than in the control rats. There were no significant changes in blood urea nitrogen or serum alanine aminotransferase values of the experimental groups compared to the control groups. The relationship of amyloidosis to deficient cell-mediated immunity and the use of the nude rat for the study of the pathogenesis of amyloidosis are discussed.