Vertical transmission of acquired ulcer susceptibility in the rat.

Premature separation of rat pups from their dams greatly increases their susceptibility to restraint-induced gastric erosions. When prematurely separated female rats grow to adulthood and mate with stock males, their normally reared F 1 progeny also have increased susceptibility to restraint-induced erosions. Cross-fostering studies show that prenatal rather than postnatal factors transmit this susceptibility to the F 1 progeny.