Abstract
Summary
An agent has been isolated from Ha/ICR Swiss mice which induces lymphocytic leukemia in approximately 80% of Swiss mice injected at birth with cell-free filtrates. This agent retains its infectivity after storage at room temperature for 24 hours, at 4°C for 48 hours, at —20°C for 1 month, and in the CO2 deep freeze for 1 month. There is some loss of infectivity under all storage conditions, greatest at —20°C for 1 month. Storage in the CO2 deep freeze for 6 months reduces infectivity to about one-third. In all instances, latency is extended. The agent is inactivated at 56°C for 30 minutes, but is not destroyed by exposure to ether overnight. It can be neutralized by incubation with specific antiserum produced in rabbits. Sprague-Dawley rats and Rf strain mice are susceptible to infection when injected at birth; weanling Swiss mice are resistant to infection. Similarities and differences between this agent and other murine leukemia viruses are discussed.
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