Mosquito transmission of lymphomas

A hamster reticulum cell sarcoma, TM, was transmitted through the mosquito Aedes aegypti (L) by a transfer of tumor cells. Tumor cells of TM remained viable up to 8 hours after ingestion by the mosquito. Feeding on or off the tumor did not effect the rate of transmission which was 10% in one series of experiments and 5% in another. It was estimated that tumor cells were transmitted by one to 2% of the mosquitos. An attempt to transmit the Rauscher virus leukemia by Aedes aegypti failed. There was no evidence of immunity to the Rauscher virus conferred by a subclinical infection. There was no evidence of multiplication in the mosquito of an agent from TM or of the Rauscher virus.