Methylmercury: effect on oncogenic and nononcogenic viruses in mice.

Mice fed methylmercury chloride at dosages of 1 or 10 ppm for 84 days had significantly higher mortality rates when inoculated with encephalomyocarditis virus (nononcogenic) than did nonmethylmercury-treated mice. However, methylmercury fed to mice which were inoculated with Rauscher leukemia virus (oncogenic) did not alter the course of neoplasia. These results demonstrate that prolonged exposure to subclinical concentrations of methylmercury increased susceptibility of a host to a nononcogenic, but not to an oncogenic, virus.