[Long-term graft survival in the xenogeneic system wolf-dog (author's transl)]

In contrast to the zoological definition that wolf and dog belong to different species, it is shown by this study that in terms of immunology both species appear to be even closer related than DL-A compatible and MLC negative unrelated dogs. However, this close relationship is not expressed in DL-A or MLC tissue typing. Wolf skin-graft survival time in untreated dogs was 12,5, in ALG-treated dogs 85,6 days. The survival time in this system may be less dpendent on DL-A or MLC histocompatibility than on other genetic systems, which are hitherto not sufficiently defined. An accidental, speciesspecific accordance in these systems may explain the obviously weak histocompatbility barrier between wolf and dog. It is concluded that in certain species-combinations xenotransplantation could be more successful than random allotransplantation. The availability of a xenogeneic species related to man similar as wolf to dog would markedly facilitate clinical xenotransplantation.