Cultivation of Leishmania in the Yolk Sac of the Developing Chick Embryo

Abstract

Summary Three strains of Leishmania have been cultivated in the yolk sac of the developing chick embryo. One strain has been carried for 31 consecutive passages by this method. The protozoa infect the yolk cells and multiply there both as Leishman-Donovan bodies and as leptomonads, but they also appear to multiply in the yolk as leptomonads. The strains failed to infect hamsters before inoculation into eggs. A few serial passages in eggs, although it gave rise to L-D bodies which were not seen in the prior agar cultures, also failed to give any enhancement of infectivity for these animals. A simple method of cultivation of these protozoa, giving both flagellated and unflagellated forms, has been developed and offers promise for their maintenance in the laboratory and, perhaps, for use in chemotherapeutic studies.