Sex-Related Resistance in Hamsters to Adenovirus-12 Oncogenesis. Influence of Thymectomy at Three Weeks of Age2

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Abstract
Newborn randombred Syrian hamsters were given injections at birth of 106.0 ± 0.2 TCID50 of prototype adenovirus 12. At 3 weeks of age the animals were weaned, segregated according to sex, and 50 to 60 percent of each sex thymectomized. Development of tumors was followed until the animals were 4 months old. Male hamsters were more resistant to viral oncogenesis than females; final tumor incidence in males was one half that of females and the rate of tumor appearance was slower in males. Susceptibility of males could be partially enhanced by thymectomy as shown by an increase in rate of tumor appearance and tumor incidence. Antibody responses to adenovirus-12 tumor antigen were depressed by thymectomy in both sexes, though more markedly in males. The implications of the sex-related resistance and the effect of thymectomy thereon are discussed, as well as the nature of the antigen responsible for induction of resistance and possible mechanisms responsible for a difference in susceptibility between hamsters of different sex to adenovirus-12 oncogenicity.