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UBC Theses and Dissertations

The cultivation of bacteria upon the chorioallantoic membrane of hen's eggs Cleveland, Edward Milton Donald

Abstract

The literature pertaining to the cultivation of bacterial microorganisms in fertile eggs has been reviewed in an attempt to give the historical background of the subject. A technique of chorioallantoic inoculation of chick embryos has been described and by this means chick embryos were inoculated with Serratia marcescens, Staphylococcus albus. Mycobacterium phlei and Salmonella typhimurium; the cultivations of S. marcescens, M, phlei and S. typhimurium were successfully accomplished by this method. Descriptions of other methods of inoculating the chick embryo have been added. Smooth and rough strains of S. typhimurium were individually serially passaged through a number of chick embryos by means of the chorioallantoic inoculation technique in an attempt to discern any change in their agglutinability by specific immune serum or changes in their type as evidenced by colonial morphology on nutrient agar or growth in nutrient broth; No change was noted; The minimal number of smooth and of rough type of organisms respectively necessary to infect fatally a ten day old chick embryo was approximately determined. In the course of the investigation a reduced susceptibility to infection with smooth type S. typhimurium organisms was noticed with increase in the age of the embryo; Emphasis has been placed upon the advantages attaching to the use of the chick embryo technique of cultivating bacterial organisms over the common practice of using laboratory animals and culture media, and a plea for the further pursuit and investigation of these advantages has been made. The thesis has been illustrated with diagrams and color photographs of the instruments used in the course of the research and of the technique of chorioallantoic inoculation.

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