On the Epizootiology of the Lactic Dehydrogenase Agent2

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Abstract
The lactic dehydrogenase (LDH) agent was in saliva and urine from mice at 36 hours, but not at 5 weeks, after infection. In feces, excretion of this “virus” was demonstrable in tumor-bearing mice and infected animals, the latter as early as 36 hours and as late as 105 days after inoculation. These findings and the demonstration that fecal material is infectious, even after 96 hours at room temperature, suggest that feces may be important in transmission of the LDH agent between mice in the same cage. Transmission of the LDH agent was not observed between animals in different cages. No evidence indicated that it is transmitted in the semen of infected males, and in utero or in the milk of females infected before pregnancy. These observations suggest that most mouse colonies should be free from the LDH agent. However, inadequate cleaning of cages or handling of animals might result in the spread of this “virus” to normal mice.