The Rauscher Virus: A Mixture of the Friend Virus and of the Mouse Leukemia Virus (Gross)?

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Abstract
The Rauscher virus can induce in susceptible mice considerable enlargement of spleen and liver, and a characteristic blood picture, pathologic features identical with those resulting from inoculation of the Friend virus. In certain strains of mice however, and also in rats, the Rauscher virus can induce thymic lymphosarcomas, and other conventional forms of leukemia commonly observed following inoculation of the mouse leukemia virus (Gross). This dual pathogenic potency could be explained by an assumption that the Rauscher virus filtrate consists of a mixture of the Friend virus, and of the mouse leukemia virus (Gross). Results of experiments here reported are consistent with such an assumption. Following several serial passages through rats, a species relatively resistant to the Friend virus, the Rauscher virus lost its ability to induce Friend virus syndrome on mouse bio-assay. Furthermore, the ability of the rat-adapted Rauscher virus to induce thymic lymphosarcomas could be inhibited by neutralization in vitro with the Gross mouse leukemia virus immune serum. The mouse leukemia virus (Gross), as well as the Friend virus, and the Rauscher virus strain, have similar physical properties, and are indistinguishable in their morphology on electron microscopic examination.

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