T and B lymphocyte-deficient mice homozygous for the severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) mutation can be immunologically engrafted with human lymphocytes. However, low levels of human peripheral blood mononuclear cell engraftment are commonly observed, impeding full use of this model We now demonstrate that strain background in mice homozygous for the scid mutation is a strong determinant of levels of human lymphocyte engraftment. NOD/LtSz-scid/scid mice support higher levels of engraftment of both human spleen and peripheral blood mononuclear cells than do CB-17-scid/scid mice. We observed, using human spleen cell injected scid mice, 1), high levels of engraftment of the host peripheral lymphoid tissues with human CD45+(leukocytes), CD3+(T cells), CD4+(helper/inducer), and CD8+(suppressor/cytotoxic) lymphoid cells for up to 24 weeks in NOD/LtSz-scid/scid mice; 2), migration of high numbers of human lymphocytes to peripheral lymphoid and nonlymphoid organs in NOD/LtSz-scid/scid, but not in CB-17-scid/scid mice; 3), higher levels of serum immunoglobulin of human origin in NOD/LtSz-scid/scid mice than in CB-17-scid/scid mice; 4), histological lesions character-istic of human anti-mouse xenoreactivity in NOD/LtSz-scid/scid mice; and 5), human origin antibodies against filarial antigens after engraftment with naive human spleen cells. The use of NOD/LtSz-scid/scid mice as recipients to achieve significantly enhanced human lymphopoietic cell engraftment will now enable human immunity to be more easily studied in animal models.