Tongue Lesions Specific for Diagnosis of Myopathy in Inbred Syrian Hamsters

Spontaneous muscular dystrophy in Syrian hamsters was first reported by Homburger et al. in 1962 (1) in one of their inbred strains. This dystrophy-like myopathic disease was found to be hereditary and transmitted by an autosomal recessive gene (designated cm, 1974) (2, 3). By selective breeding, it was possible to establish new dystrophic lines. These lines have been widely investigated, mainly because they present animal models in which to study the biochemistry and physiology of cardiomyopathy which might ultimately lead to clinical application (4-8).

In the present investigation, experiments have been designed to study the physiology and immunology of fetal heart transplants in cheek pouches of hamsters of the myopathic strains. These studies will be reported elsewhere. In the course of observing the buccal tissue of the BIO® 14.6 myopathic strain, careful oral examination revealed small (1-2 mm), indurated, white lesions embedded in the undersurface of the tongue, slightly anterior to the frenulum linguae.

Following the first observation, the oral cavities of other male and female hamsters of the stock BIO 14.6 strain were examined in age groups ranging from weanling to 6 mo. All of the observed hamsters of this strain showed tongue lesions beginning at 55 days. The lesions were not limited to the undersurface of the tongue, but were also apparent on both lateral surfaces and on the dorsum as well. The lesions were solitary or multiple and seemed to be confined to the anterior portion of the tongue. The findings of tongue lesions in the stock hamsters of BIO 14.6 strain confirmed the spontaneity of the lesions and indicated that their occurrence was in no way related to the transplantation experimentation.