Numerical chromosome variation in mouse spermatogonia resulting from alcohol consumption.

Male mice were force fed ethyl alcohol intragastrically at increasing daily doses. The animals were killed at various times after the initiation of alcohol ingestion. Chromosome numbers per cell were counted from spermatogonial mitoses and compared with those from controls that were not exposed to alcohol. An average of 16 percent of the spermatogonial mitoses from alcohol ingesting animals had hypodiploid numbers (usually 2n-1) compared to 6 percent in the control animals. No correlation between the total amount of alcohol consumed and the number of hypodiploid spermatogonia was noted.