Acute hepatitis associated with mouse leukemia. II. Etiology and host range of the causal agent in mice.

The etiological agent of the acute hepatitis encountered in weanling mice of the Princeton strain is a virus found in the liver, spleen, kidneys, heart's blood, urine, and intestinal contents of experimentally infected animals. Older Princeton mice and weanlings from four other strains (Swiss, Webster's BSVS, C albino) and Bagg) proved to be less susceptible than Princeton weanlings. The virus was demonstrable in Berkefeld V filtrates of liver suspensions and in supernatants after centrifugation at 10,000 G. In whole liver suspensions it was detectable in decreasing amounts through a dilution of 10(-7). Aureomycin and terramycin had no detectable effect on the activity of the virus in weanlings.