A Chick Embryo Technic for Intravenous and Chemotherapeutic Studies.

Abstract

This technic, devised for the pilot testing of chemotherapeutic agents against bacterial infections of the chick embryo, is briefly as follows. The shell over the airsac is removed and the shell membrane stripped from the underlying chorio-allantoic membrane. The embryonic sacs are then clearly visualized, and selective or combined intraven., intra-yolk, intra-amniotic, or intra-allantoic injns. or aspirations may be accurately made. Intraven. inoculations are also readily made and blood may be aspirated. Wide exposure facilitates all procedures. The open end of the egg is sealed with a triple layer of transparent Scotch tape through which the embryo remains visible permitting ready determination of death without candling. During incubation, substances may be applied to the membrane by passing a fine needle through the tape or other procedures carried out by partly removing the tape. Results of intraven. injn. of chick embryos with human tubercle bacilli are to be separately reported. Quantitative blood and extraembryonie fluid levels of sulfathiazole and Promin following various doses by the various routes are summarized. The results demonstrate the feasibility of the method for rapid pilot testing of the value of different compounds against bacterial infections of the embryo.