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Influence of Age at Inoculation on Avian Oncornavirus-induced Brain Tumor Incidence, Tumor Morphology, and Postinoculation Survival in F344 Rats¹

Department of Pathology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham 27710 [D. D. C., D. D. B.], and National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 27709 [D. D. C.]

Intracranial neoplasms were induced by intracerebral inoculation of a standardized, cell-free inoculum of the Bratislava-77 strain of avian sarcoma virus in F344 rats at 1, 9, 97 to 99, and 528 days of age. Deaths from diseases that occur spontaneously in aged F344 rats complicated assessment of tumor incidence in rats inoculated at 528 days; 20 of 30 rats inoculated at this age developed brain tumors. All rats inoculated at age 1 day (47 rats), at age 9 days (37 rats), and at 97 to 99 days of age (41 rats) developed brain tumors. The incidence of animals developing tumors was 100% in these three groups, but the incidence of multiple tumors declined with increasing age at inoculation. The mean and variance of postinoculation survival increased from 83.8 ± 21.5 days for rats inoculated at 1 day of age to 284.6 ± 151.5 days for rats inoculated at 97 to 99 days of age. Poorly differentiated astrocytomas and astrocytomas of mixed morphology were common among rats inoculated as neonates. Solitary, pilocytic astrocytomas were the most common tumors among rats inoculated as adults.

¹ Supported by USPHS Grants CA-11898 and CA-14651.

² Recipient of National Research Service Award CA05437 from the National Cancer Institute. To whom requests for reprints should be addressed, at Department of Pathology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, N. C. 27710.

³ Recipient of TIA Fellowship 1F11NS11063 from the National Institute of Neurological and Communicative Disorders and Stroke and a JFCF Award from the American Cancer Society.

Received 11/11/76. Accepted 2/23/77.