Abstract
Summary
Mammary tumor virus (MTV) did not induce detectable circulating interferon in female C57BL or male Swiss mice upon intravenous injection nor did it induce resistance in mice to subsequent challenge with Columbia SK virus. Numerous other viral and nonviral inducers of interferon did protect mice from challenge with Columbia SK virus. Neither milk obtained from mice during their third to fifth lactation, which contained very high concentrations of MTV (1012 particles by electron microscopy), nor blood from tumor-bearing RIII mice, contained any detectable interferon or interferon-like inhibitor. MTV did not exhibit any specific hemagglutinin (HA) activity with the erythrocytes from 20 species of vertebrates. The data indicate that MTV, which shares certain properties with the myxoviruses, lacks the HA activity and interferon-inducing capacity frequently associated with many myxoviruses.
We are indebted to M. Lieberman and A. Pascale for conducting the mouse protection tests and the interferon assays.
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