Brief Communication: Graft Versus Leukemia: Effect of PhytohemagglutininStimulated and Normal Spleen Cells on Rauscher Disease

Summary

BALB/c mice inoculated with Rauscher leukemia virus survived longer when given a single syngeneic cell transfer 1 week after virus infection of either normal spleen cells or those taken from animals treated with phytohemagglutinin (PHA) cells. Transfer of PHA cells tripled the mean survival time of the mice and transfer of normal cells almost doubled the survival compared to that of leukemic mice receiYing no treatment. Three cell transfers given 3–4 weeks apart were even more effective, since the animals receiving the transfers lived more than 4 times longer than untreated controls. Cell viability and integrity were not required, since the injection of sonically disrupted cells produced similar results.