Turkey respiratory tract adenoviruses: oncogenic potential in neonatal hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus)

The tumorigenic properties of 3 turkey adenoviruses (CUA, NC-K, and MST) isolated from turkeys with respiratory tract disease and injected into neonatal hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus) have been determined. One of 30 adenovirus isolates (CUA) induced tumors at the site of inoculation (subcutaneously or intracranially) in neonatal hamsters. The tumors were identified as fibrosarcomas and undifferentiated sarcomas. The tumors were found to be free of infective virus, but hamsters which had tumors produced antibody to the virus-specific tumor antigen detectable by the complement-fixation test. The antibody titers for the tumor antigen were from 1:8 to 1:16. Abnormalities were not observed in the major organs collected from hamsters inoculated with the virus. Inoculations of hamster embryo cells and of adult and baby hamster kidney cells with the 3 turkey adenoviruses at a high multiplicity of infection did not produce transformed cells in monolayers. Hamster cells were permissive for CUA virus, since cytopathic effect was observed in 3 to 5 days after inoculation.