Tumour spectrum and maintance of the Syrian hamster Han:AURA

The Syrian Hamster strain Han:AURA from the Central Institute of Laboratory Animal Breeding, Hannover, Germany, was used for two long-term studies. In the first experiment an inhalation carcinogenicity study with special wire mesh caging and housing conditions is described. The second experiment was a transplacental carcinogenicity study under conventional caging and housing conditions. One of the main problems in the inhalation study was wet tail-like symptoms which were treated successfully with a fibre enriched-diet. About 30% females and nearly 50% males developed tumours of the adrenal cortex. Interestingly, neuroendocrine cell tumours in the larynx and trachea were observed in about 4 % of each sex. This tumour type is not present in rats and mice. In addition, a giant-cell glioblastoma was detected for the first time in one of the hamsters.