Occurrence of dysplastic epithelium in the murine vagina after transfer of cell-free extracts from carcinoma in situ of the human cervix uteri.

Cell-free extracts were prepared from tissue specimens of intraepithelial carcinoma of the cervix uteri of human patients and subsequently injected into newborn and juvenile mice of NMRI strain via several routes. Cytological controls of vaginal epithelium were carried out in periods of 8--12 wk. Groups of mice were killed at varying intervals for histological examination. After a latency of 4-8 mth dysplastic changes of the vaginal epithelium were found in 67.6% (48 out of 71) of the mice and were graded as hyperplasia, mild and severe dysplasia and carcinoma in situ. Antibody against herpes virus hominis was not detected in the sera of these mice. Only 1 out of 120 control mice had mild dysplasia 16 mth after inoculation of an extract from noninfected human embryo kidney cells. In 9 out of 10 human cases of histologically confirmed cervical carcinoma in situ, injection of extracts into mice was followed by the appearance of dysplastic epithelium in the murine vagina. In the one case in which no positive response was obtained, the observation time had been less than 6 mth.