Pathogenicity of Rous Sarcoma Virus for Rats and Rabbits

Inoculation of Rous sarcoma virus into rat embryos or newborn rats caused a hemorrhagic disease characterized by formation of cysts which filled with serous transudate and then became hemorrhagic. Subsequently, sarcomas appeared in some rats. In newborn rabbits the inoculation brought about a disease characterized by development of mostly benign multiple fibrous nodules from which the virus could sometimes be isolated by irradiation with X or ultra-violet rays. The virus neutralized with the specific antiserum did not cause any pathological symptoms in rats or rabbits. Serums of affected rats did not contain virus antibodies, while those of affected rabbits sometimes contained them. Hemorrhagic disease of rats and fibromatosis of rabbits are interesting models for the study of the interrelation between virus and cell.