Abstract
Summary
Exhaustive investigations were made employing cell culture methods to recover virus from specimens from human cases of leukemia and other malignancies. Altogether, 316 clinical specimens were tested. Primary culture of the human malignant tissue and passage of extracts of clinical specimens to primary cell cultures and to a cell strain were done. The specimens were tested crude and after treatment to remove hypothetical inhibitors and the cultures were observed by a variety of procedures to detect virus by direct and indirect methods as well as before and after treatment to remove inhibitors. No detectable virus or virus-like agent of human malignant tissue origin was recovered. The finding of a simian virus multinucleating agent, MNA, emphasized the need for reliable controls and for caution in interpretation. The negative findings in these experiments were interpreted as examples of methods which failed and were not construed as positive evidence for a non-viral etiology of malignancies in man.
W. Raupp contributed significantly to the studies in the conduct of the virus recovery attempts, and E. A. Ridley provided technical assistance. Specimens from cases of human malignancy were kindly supplied by Dr. Irving Wolman, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, by Dr. H. T. Tamaki, Montgomery Hospital, Norristown, Pa. and by Dr. J. Gershon-Cohen, Albert Einstein Medical Center, Philadelphia. Collection of specimens by Dr. Wolman was supported in part by grant from U. S. Public Health Service.
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