P. R. Beamer

Response of Germ-Free Animals to Experimental Virus Monocontamination. I. Observation on Coxsackie B Virus.

Summary An inadvertent monocontami-nation of germ-free mice with a so-called “non-pathogenic”strain of an albus variant of Staphylococcus aureus was observed to enhance the systemic resistance of suckling mice to lethal infections with Coxsackie B virus in doses ranging from 0.1 to 10 LD50. The response of germ-free suckling mice to intraperitoneal injections of virus was uniform, with mortality seeming to be independent of the dose of virus. Mortality was not observed after a post-inoculation interval of 7 days, although there was significant persistence of virus in the brain and other organs of the germ-free mice.

Effect of Dietary Lipids on Growth of Transplantable Neoplasms in Mice.

Summary The incidence of susceptibility of inbred mice to 2 transplantable neoplasms, L1210 leukemia and adenocarcinoma 755, was not influenced by variation in the dietary fats. Diets deficient in fat likewise had neither inhibiting nor stimulating activity in the pathogenesis of the 2 neoplasms. The authors are indebted to Dr. Clyde Culbertson and Dr. Irving Johnson, Eli Lilly and Co., for help in supplying mice and transplantable tumers, and to Mr. James F. Glore, Dept. of Illustration at the Medical Center, for preparation of graphs. The capable technical assistance of Pearl Driver, Betty Corya, Shirley Stockslager, and Donna King is also appreciated.