Depression of circulating interferon response in Balb-c mice after urethan treatment.

Urethan, when given to female Balb/c mice, impaired the capacity of these animals to produce circulating interferon. The effect appeared rapidly after a single injection of either 1 or 1.5 milligrams of urethan per gram of body weight and was of short duration. The possibility that this inhibition of the production of interferon plays a role in the enhancement of viral leukemia by urethan should now be considered.