Robert S. Brodey

Feline Leukemia Virus: Occurrence of Viral Antigen in the Tissues of Cats with Lymphosarcoma and Other Diseases

Felinie leutkemia viruts antigen is demonstrable by immunodiffusion with rabbit precipitating antiserum to purified felinie leukemia virus. The felinie leukemia virus antigen was found in the tissues of 25 of 33 cats with lymphosarcoma and of 5 of 13 cats with infectious peritonitis. Its presence was correlated with the occurrence of felinie leukemia virus demonstrable by electron microscopy. The one clinically normal cat giving a positive test for feline leukemia virus antigen belonged to a household in which two cats had developed lymphosarcoma. With the exception of a dog with lymphosarcoma induced by feline leukemia virus, the antigent was absent from lymphosarcoma and nonlymphomatous tumors of other species (man, dog, cow, goat, or pig).

The effect of BCG on in vitro immune reactivity and clinical course in dogs treated surgically for osteosarcoma

Abstract Cell mediated reactivity (CMR) and serum blocking activity (SBA) were assessed postsurgically in 11 dogs treated surgically for osteosarcoma. Six dogs received Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) and 5 served as controls. SBA decreased significantly soon after surgery in both groups. Two to three months after surgery SBA was slightly higher in the controls than in the BCG group. However, the postsurgical SBA in BCG recipients rose to about the same level as in the controls at 4–12 months, correlating in time with radiographic appearance of metastasis. This suggested that BCG delayed SBA for several months. The median survival time of the BCG treated dogs was 40 weeks, significantly longer than the 13 week median survival time in the control group. The cumulative life table method for estimation of survival rate failed to show an effect of BCG on survival.