On the Transmission of the Lactic Dehydrogenase Agent From Mother to Offspring2

Abstract

Transmission of the lactic dehydrogenase (LDH) agent from mother to offspring occurs across the placenta when female mice are infected before conception or during gestation. If mothers are inoculated with this virus within 24 hours after giving birth, transmission to progeny may occur in the milk. That 5-week-old mice, assumed to be uninfected because their serum LDH levels were normal, may carry the virus in their blood is of interest in regard to the possibility that an accurate estimate of infectivity among offspring is not obtained by the standard assay method. The finding may also be useful in future experiments with the LDH agent. Excretion of the LDH agent in semen was demonstrable as early as 24 hours and as late as 70 days after inoculation.