Thymectomy in the Adult Mouse

Studies of immune responses during recovery from Sindbis virus encephalitis in selectively reconstituted, thymectomized, lethally irradiated mice

“…For thymectomy, 3-week-old BALB/c mice (Charles River Breeding Laboratories, Inc., Wilmington, Mass.) were anesthetized with chloral hydrate (0.01 ml/g), and the thymi were ablated by suctioning through an incision in the thoracic wall (20). Mice were irradiated (732 rads from a cesium source at 120 rads/min) 1 week after thymectomy.…”