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Vertical Transmission of Murine Leukemia Virus through Successive Generations¹

Roswell Park Memorial Institute, Buffalo, New York 14203

The 334C murine leukemia virus, isolated from Ha/ICR Swiss mice, has been transmitted vertically from mother to offspring through 5 successive generations of Swiss mice without decrease in virulence, as measured by induction of leukemia later in life. Females which produced the first generation were injected with virus at birth; subsequent generations were untreated. Incidence of leukemia has increased gradually and latency period to leukemia death has decreased gradually. Mothers need not be leukemic during the suckling period, or even later, in order to transmit virus to the offspring. Virus infection and subsequent development of leukemia has no effect on the capability of young females to mate and successfully deliver their litters. However, early mortality in the litters has been relatively high; this may be attributed in some instances to illness in the mother. Highly infectious virus has been recovered on three occasions; filtrates prepared from leukemia tissues from offspring in the 4th and 5th generations induced leukemia in 80–90% of assay Swiss mice in less than 8 months after injection at birth.

¹ Supported in part by grants from the John A. Hartford Foundation and the USPHS Grant CA-07745.

Received 7/17/68. Accepted 10/27/68.