Murine gammaherpesvirus 68 infection protects lupus-prone mice from the development of autoimmunity.

Gammaherpesvirus infections, such as those caused by EBV, have been suggested to promote the development of autoimmunity. To test this idea, we infected healthy WT and lupus-prone B6.Sle123 mice with an EBV-related and rodent-specific gammaherpesvirus, γHV68.