Presence of mouse mammary tumor virus specifically alters the body odor of mice
- Kunio Yamazaki*,
- Edward A. Boyse†,
- Judith Bard†,
- Maryanne Curran*,
- David Kim‡,
- Susan R. Ross‡, and
- Gary K. Beauchamp*,§
- *Monell Chemical Senses Center, 3500 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104; †Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Arizona College of Medicine, Tucson, AZ 85724; and ‡Department of Microbiology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104
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Contributed by Edward A. Boyse
Abstract
It has long been recognized that various genetic and metabolic human disorders alter body odor, which is not surprising because they may alter body chemistry. Thus, it has been suggested that some human diseases may be diagnosed by odor alone. In that regard, the mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV) and its tumors of mice, which may have human counterparts, are of special interest because of the need for basic research possible only in inbred and genetically defined animals. Accordingly, we now show that the mouse MMTV, whether obtained environmentally or genetically transmitted, alters the body odor of mice in both males and females, and regardless of the presence or absence of tumors. These observations, together with the prospect of artificial human odor discrimination, may aid in the search for early human diagnostics.
Footnotes
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↵ § To whom reprint requests should be addressed. E-mail: beauchamp{at}monell.org.
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↵ ¶ Pickel, D. P., Cognetta, A. B., Manucy, G. P., Walker, D. B., Hall, S. B. & Walker, J. C. (2001) in Association for Chemoreception Sciences XXIII Annual Meeting Abstracts (A Chem S, Sarasota, FL), p. 25.
- Abbreviations:
- MMTV,
- mouse mammary tumor virus;
- Sag,
- superantigen
- Copyright © 2002, The National Academy of Sciences
