Autoimmunity induced in rabbits by rinderpest virus

During rinderpest virus infection in rabbits, 19S cold hemagglutinating antibody against rabbit erythrocytes and 7S anti-nuclear antibody, which reacts with the nuclei and/or the nuclear membranes in immunofluorescent staining, were demonstrated. Virus infection that affected the thymus-dependent immune functions was speculated to act as a trigger for the production of these two autoantibodies.