Four populations of small wild British rodents were studied by capture--re-capture methods over a period of three years. Samples of blood were taken from these animals and tested for antibodies to nine viruses. Animals were removed from another 11 sites around the UK, and immunosuppressed. Samples of tissue from these animals were tested for the presence of viruses by passage in laboratory mice and serum samples from some of them were tested for antibody to the nine viruses. Indications were found of the possible influence of epizootic outbreaks of certain diseases on animal populations.

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Processing tissue for transmission electron microscopy by standard laboratory methods can take two to three days. This makes the development of new techniques time consuming and generally restricts the use of the electron microscope in routine diagnostic work. The possibility of viewing tissue with the electron microscope five hours after sampling using rapid processing techniques is presented. The morphology of the tissue appears undamaged with cell and organelle ultrastructures being readily recog

Data from 838 Finnish Landrace or Finnish Landrace crossbred sheep showed a highly significant correlation between phenotypes of the C blood group system and erythrocyte amino acid transport variants. Erythrocytes with normal amino acid transport properties (GSH high, Ly-type) were Cb-positive or Cb-negative.Erythrocytes with the amino acid transport lesion (GSH low, Ly + ) were never Cb-negative. Sheep erythrocytes homozygous for Cb showed stronger lysis reactions with anti-Cb than heterozygous cells. Lv + sheep were nearly always homozygous for C*, whereas most Ly-sheep were heterozygous or Cb-negative. Inheritance studies provided strong evidence that this association is due to close genetic linkage. Glutathione concentrationsThese were determined on whole blood samples using DTNB (5,5'-dithiobis-2nitrobenzoic acid) as chromogen (Beutler, Duron & Kelly, 1963). Erythrocytes with less than 50 mg GSWlOO ml were classified as low GSH type and those with concentrations above 60 mg/100 ml were classified as high GSH type (Tucker & Kilgour, 1970). ResultsErythrocytes from 838 sheep comprising 5 different flocks were tested with blood grouping reagents in the R, A, B, C and M systems. They were also tested for 120