Taste aversions and acu te nlethyllnercury poisoning in ra ts

Rats injected with methyl mercuric chloride (5 mg/kg) following exposure to the taste of saccharin rejected saccharin on subsequent days to a significantly greater extent than either rats poisoned following plain water or rats injected with normal saline following saccharin exposure. Intraperitoneal injections caused nonspecific reduction of fluid intake in addition to the specific rejection of saccharin, and intravenous injections were not accompained by nonspecific effects. The present study adds methyl mercuric chloride to the expanding list of substances that are effective unconditioned aversive stimuli for learned taste aversions and testifies to the sensitivity and potential utility of the taste aversion technique for studying the effects of acute exposure to this chemical.