Strain and sex differences in susceptibility of rats to dioctyltin dichloride

Treatment with dioctyltin dichloride (DOTC) induced increased mortality, atrophy of the thymus and suppression of responses to concanavalin A. Brown Norway (BN) rats were more susceptible than Lewis (LEW) to the lethal effects of DOTC and males were more susceptible than females. Increased mortality did not correlate with changes in the histological appearance of the thymus. LEW X BN F1 hybrids resembled the LEW parent in susceptibility to the lethal effects of DOTC and the BN parent in susceptibility to changes in the thymus.