Unusually High Incidence of Spontaneous Lymphomas in Wild House Mice2

Abstract

Wild house mice (Mus musculus) from one trapping area in southern California had a much higher incidence of spontaneous lymphoma and a markedly higher incidence of murine type C virus particles and group-specific antigen in their spleens than did wild mice of comparable age from several other areas. This association strongly supported an etiologic role for the indigenous type C virus in naturally occurring murine lymphoma.