Abstract
It has been found that gonococci remain viable within the interior of a hen's egg for several weeks and in certain cases as long as 3 months. Table 1 illustrates the frequency with which the organism was recovered from eggs at varying periods of time after inoculation.
Serial inoculations made from egg to egg showed that the organism also multiplied within the interior of the yolk.
Inasmuch as the embryo develops at a temperature of 37° C (and in certain instances hatches) and since the gonococcus seemed to multiply at this temperature within the egg, it appeared possible that during development the blood stream might be invaded by the organism if introduced into the yolk-sac.
Accordingly fertile eggs were incubated at 37°C and when the embryo had grown to the 12-23-day stage the yolk-sac was inoculated as follows:
A strain from a case of vaginitis in a young girl was grown on Bradford's medium and after 48 hours was washed off with one cc. of saline. A small area, one cm. in diameter, on the shell was sterilized with tincture of merthiolate and a very small opening was made through the shell with a sharp sterile probe.
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