Interstrain differences in the responsiveness of mice to glucan with respect to hematological effects and manifestations of late damage.

A study was made of the effect of a single s.c. injection of 4 mg glucan in the mouse strains C57BL/10, C3H and a hybrid population of mice. In mice of the strain C57BL/10 high responsiveness was demonstrated, manifested in a long-term increase in the granulocyte counts in the peripheral blood. These effects were accompanied by a fall in the mean red cell volume and the mean corpuscular hemoglobin, a fall in body weight, and mortality. 10 weeks after administration of glucan histology revealed necrotic foci in the livers of animals of the C57BL/10 strain, and an increased amount of the fibrous connective component in the pulmonary interstitium. The strain C3H exhibited a low responsiveness in respect of the hematological indices, while the hybrids did not show any significant response.