The Development of a Myeloma-Like Condition in Mink with Aleutian Disease

Aleutian disease of mink, apparently of viral etiology, is characterized by an extreme diffuse proliferation of plasma cells, and a marked hypergammaglobulinemia, which is electrophoretically heterogeneous. In some mink with this disease serially followed by serum protein electrophoresis, a transition to a homogeneous myeloma-like hypergammaglobulinemia, together with the appearance of Bence Jones proteinuria, was observed late in their course. Thus, this viral disease shows plasma cell proliferation beginning as a multiclonal hyperplasia which may terminate as a monoclonal, possibly neoplastic overgrowth of the plasma cell system.