Articles

Influence of Neonatal Thymectomy on the Development of Primary Rous Sarcomas in two Inbred Strains of Rats

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Abstract

In a number of experimental systems it has been shown, that neonatal thymectomy renders the animals more susceptible to the action of oncogenic viruses - polyoma virus in mice (7) and rats (10), SV 40 virus in rats (2), Rous sarcoma virus in chickens (8).

Tumour specific transplantation antigens have been demonstrated in mice (5) and in rats (4) carrying sarcomas induced by Rous sarcoma virus of the Schmidt-Ruppin strain (RSV-SR). It was the aim of the present investigation to study the role of the immunologic impairment following neonatal thymectomy for the course of development of primary sarcomas induced by RSV-SR in two inbred strains of rats.

In the search for suitable experimental animals five strains of rats were studied in advance for the effect of neonatal thymectomy upon their lymphoid tissue and their immunological capacity (3); neonatally thymectomized and sham-operated rats were immunized with sheep red blood cells when adult, and their haemolysin titers measured; also the cell content of particular lymph nodes was determined. A significant reduction in haemolysin titers and of cell counts of lymph nodes in the groups of neonatally thymectomized animals as compared with their sham-operated litter mates was observed in the inbred Wistar/Fu (W/Fu) and Bladt/Norway (BIN) strains of rats. Therefore these two strains were selected for the present long term experiment.

How to Cite:

Borum, K., (1971) “Influence of Neonatal Thymectomy on the Development of Primary Rous Sarcomas in two Inbred Strains of Rats”, Lymphology 4(4), 150-155.