“Vertical” Transmission of Passage A Leukemic Virus from Inoculated C3H Mice to their Untreated Offspring. ∗

Abstract

Summary

1. C3H(f) mice inoculated within a few days after birth with passage A leukemic filtrates, were subsequently mated. 2. When both females and males selected for mating received inoculation of the passage A virus, or when inoculated females were mated to non-inoculated males, all offspring born to such parents developed leukemia at 4 1/2 to 7 months of age. 3. When, however, non-inoculated females were mated to virus-injected males, 31 non-treated offspring have remained thus far in good health, although they have already reached 8 to 9 months of age. 4. Similar experiments were performed employing mice of the C57 Brown/cd strain, highly susceptible to leukemogenic action of passage A virus. 5. Of the 64 non-treated C57 Brown/cd offspring, now 9 months old, only 1 has thus far developed leukemia when either a) both parents, b) mothers only, or c) fathers only had been injected with the passage A virus.