16 MASS. EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETIN 370 



the edge of a sarcomatous mass, which were believed to be the result of action 

 of the same agent. Morelli and Vercellone (141 b) have observed the development 

 of fibrosarcoma in a chicken injected with material of the Oberling and Guerin 

 strain of leukosis agent. 



Oberling and Guerin (146) describe their experiments with a bird (A 414) which 

 had developed erythroblastic leukosis following inoculation with their strain 

 of the agent. Blood, bone marrow, or spleen tissue of the bird was preserved in 

 glycerin and used as inoculum. Of the 22 chickens inoculated, 7 developed sar- 

 comas, 3 of which metastasized. A total of 15 chickens of the group (including 

 the seven with sarcoma) died with leukosis. Oberling and Guerin (147) describe 

 in another report the results following inoculation of material from these birds 

 with tumor. Five birds received intramuscular inoculations of fragments of the 

 above-mentioned sarcomas. A sixth chicken received an intravenous inoculation 

 of fresh blood from a leukotic bird with a sarcoma. All six of these birds showed 

 hyperplastic reactions of the reticulo-endothelium in the liver, spleen, lungs, and 

 bone marrow. Although there was a disturbance of the blood in all instances, 

 only two showed the typical reaction of erythroblastic leukosis. Oberling and 

 Guerin (146) report that they attempted to graft eight of the sarcomas to 32 

 experimental chickens but obtained only erythroblastic leukosis. More recently 

 they (149) have reported that intracutaneous inoculation of fresh leukemic blood 

 was more likely to produce sarcoma in chickens than intramuscular injection and 

 that large doses (0.5 cc.) were more likely to induce tumor formation than were 

 smaller amounts. Their attempts to modify the agent of their strain and make it 

 more sarcomogenic or histiotropic in the presence of embryonic tissue pulp, 

 infusorial earth, and thorotrast were negative (144). 



Storti and Zaietta (188) have conducted some interesting experiments which 

 indicate the potentiality of a leukosis strain to induce spindle-cell sarcoma forma- 

 tion. Although they do not mention the source of the strain with which this 

 work was conducted, it may be assumed that it was that of Oberling and Guerin 

 for in an earlier report (185) Storti mentions having worked with this strain 

 for several years. Three sarcomas were observed in a group of 35 chickens which 

 had received glycerinated leukotic blood, 6 in a group of 45 chickens which had 

 received organ suspensions in glycerin, and 10 in a group of 30 chickens which 

 had had a doubly ligated blood vessel filled with leukotic blood implanted in their 

 pectoral muscle. In some instances the blood vessels, a 1 to 2 cm. portion of the 

 jugular vein or aorta of a healthy chicken, were used fresh; in others the vessels 

 had been held in the ice box; and in still others the vessels had been fixed in 

 formaldehyde solution. In none of the 19 cases of tumor formation were metas- 

 tases observed nor was it possible to transplant the sarcomas, for the birds re- 

 ceiving the transplant died of leukosis before the transplant could become 

 established. 



Pikowski and Doljanski (165) described a spontaneous case of erythroblastic 

 leukosis in which there was also disturbance of the granuloblastic elements. 

 Four chickens received intravenous inoculations of blood from this case. One 

 (chicken 86) died seven weeks later with sarcoma-like foci in the spleen, hyper- 

 plasia of the periportal lymphoid elements of the liver, proliferation of the vascular 

 endothelium in the liver, and hyperplasia of the bone marrow; the blood showed 

 no abnormal changes. An emulsion of the liver and spleen of chicken 86 gave rise 

 to a slow-growing fibrosarcoma when injected into the pectoral muscles of other 

 experimental birds. This tumor was carried for five serial passages without 

 change, except for a somewhat more rapid growth. Intravenous inoculation of 

 blood and organ suspensions from chicken 86 produced an anemia with moderate 



