Xenogeneic skin and kidney transplants in a closely related canine system, fox-dog

Fox kidney and skin grafts were transplanted into dog recipients. Fox kidneys, transplanted en bloc into untreated dogs, survived 6.2 +/- 0.4 days. The skin transplants survived 5.9 +/- 1.4 days. The grafted kidneys showed almost normal function before rejection. Both skin and kidney rejection were mediated through a cellular mechansim. Performed natural antibodies against donor tissue were not present in the serum of the recipients. These results combined with absorption studies suggested a close relationship between fox and dog, but different number and morphology of chromosomes, immunoelectrophoretic patterns of serum proteins, and disparities of the transplantation antigens proved that the fox is a species quite separate from the dog. It was concluded that the fox-dog system, with its similarity to the chimpanzeeman relationship, offers a unique model to study clinically applicable methods of managing xenografts between closely related species.