CD86 and diabetes mellitus: This differs from the NOD-H-2h4 strain, in which two-third of animals spontaneously develop thyroid lesions after 6 months of age without iodine supplementation in the drinking water [48], and likely reflects the fact that B7-2 deficiency prevents a number of autoimmune syndromes that normally develop in NOD mice, such as diabetes and sialadenitis [4,78].