The Absence of Wasting in Thymectomized Germfree (Axenic) Mice. ∗

Summary

Neonatally thymectomized mice develop a characteristic wasting disease from 4 weeks to 4 months after thymectomy; no pathogenic bacteria have been isolated from these animals that can be obviously incriminated as the cause of the syndrome. Germ-free: thymectomized mice exhibit none of the symptoms of this disease in 8 months, the maximum period of observation to date.

Upon contamination the ex-germfree mice, thymectomized at birth, develop the disease within 4-8 weeks, though those thymectomized at 44-51 days do not develop the disease upon contamination and subsequent conventionalization.