Transmission studies of sarcoma in the soft-shell clam, Mya arenaria.
Transmission experiments with adult soft-shell clams (Mya arenaria) demonstrated that clam sarcomas are transmissible with hemolymph from neoplastic animals but not with cell-free ultrafiltrates. Non-neoplastic clams were injected with either hemolymph from neoplastic clams or a cell-free ultrafiltrate prepared from a subsample of the same hemolymph. Injected clams were held in separate flow-through aquaria and examined for sarcomas by histocytology and histology. Data at 17 weeks showed a 44% prevalence of sarcomas in clams injected with neoplastic inoculum. No sarcomas were observed either in clams injected with a cell-free ultrafiltrate or in the control animals. The lack of sarcomas in clams injected with the ultrafiltrate argues against a viral etiology for the disease.
McLaughlin
S M
SM
NOAA, National Marine Fisheries Service, Cooperative Oxford Laboratory, Maryland 21654.
Farley
C A
CA
Hetrick
F M
FM
D000818:Animals; D049872:Bivalvia; D006458:Hemolymph / Q000166:cytology; D009368:Neoplasm Transplantation; D012513:Sarcoma, Experimental / Q000473:pathology*; D014462:Ultrafiltration