[The tumor-tetanus assay--experimental studies on the biological differentiation between carcinogenesis and organ regeneration of the rat (author's transl)].

The characteristic clostridial growth which is testable, after systemic administration of tetanus spores, as a positive tumour tetanus - correlation, was manifested by a highly selective tetanus lethality of rats with progressive hepatomas following induction with dimethylaminoazobenzene and diethylnitrosamine, respectively, as well as with methylcholanthren-induced fibrosarcomas of the rat. Control tumours with transplantable Walker carcinoma cells anYoshida sarcoma cells also developed tetanus most frequently whereas healthy tumour-free rats did not show any signs of tetanus for the period of observation. There was strict time-dose-relationship of tetanus after partial hepatectomy, using the same injection technique of the spores, in sofar as the spores injected 24 hours postoperatively caused tetanus as opposed to the completely negative results following spore administration 4 days postoperatively. The mean tetanus survival time of the rats with regeneration of the liver roughly corresponded to that of the wound regeneration assay using pregant rats post partum. The interpretation of these results allows for demonstrating a fairly good agreement between the growth capacity of tumour cells on the one hand and the permanently strong tetanus reactivity on the other, as compared with the time-limited "take" and course of tetanus following regeneration of the liver.