Experimental viral infections of the inner ear. II. Simian virus 40 induced tumors of the temporal bone.

Pathological and virological studies were performed on temporal bones of 23 hamsters which developed tumors subsequent to neonatal inoculation of simian virus 40 (SV40). Four to five months after viral inoculation, 22 hamsters developed undifferentiated sarcomas in the subcutaneous space adjacent to the temporal bone. Nine tumors invaded the temporal bone, occassionally extending to the subarachnoid space but not to the inner ear. Choroid plexus papillomas developed in four animals, with one tumor demonstrating invasion of the cochlear aqueduct, internal auditory canal, and cochlear modiolus. Cells grown from a sarcoma and a choroid plexus papilloma contained tumor antigen and established that the tumors were SV40 virus induced.