Chronic hypoplastic marrow failure and residual injury.

An experimental model of chronic marrow failure can be produced in mice by treatment with a short course of busulphan. This results in permanent partial marrow failure which may later progress and become complete. The underlying lesion appears to be stem cell damage which leads to failure of proliferation of stem cells and their progeny. Other drugs can produce the same lesion and alkylation of DNA may be the mechanism.