Another note on inbred laboratory mouse strains. And, to create an inbred strain, a number of out-bred mice are selected originally, then bred brother to sister for generations. A fair number of brother sister pairs have to be selected initially, because many of the attempts fail, typically becoming extinct at between 5 and 10 generations of inbreeding. Here is some of the health information on three commonly used laboratory mouse strains as compiled by Michael Festing in a reference book on inbred laboratory mouse strains. CBA , widely distributed general use strain, originally selected for low mammary tumor incidence.
Life span short to intermediate.
High systolic blood pressure. Resistant to Salmonella typhimarium, highly susceptable to measles. Breeding performance varies according to subline, from good to poor. C3H , among the most widely used of all mouse strains. Has retinal degeneration.