Animal model of human disease. DiGeorge syndrome: Congenital thymic hypoplasia

Because of the ready availability of nude mice, it is becoming increasingly apparent that such animals can be manipulated and serve as testing grounds for induction of T-cell maturation, regulation of the immune response, and elucidation of cytotoxic responses in allografts. Moreover, they permit definitive characterization of the degree of thymic dependency as a primary defense against infectious agents. Extrapolation of data from mouse to man must be done with considerable caution. However, the nude mouse represents one of the most versatile tools in immunobiology and should continue to facilitate our understanding and assessment of the role of the thymus in infection, transplantation, autoimmunity, oncology and gerontology.