Screening of Chicks with Erythromyeloblastic Leukosis for Plasma Activity in Dephosphorylation of Adenosine Triphosphate. ∗

Abstract

Summary

A micro procedure has been designed for the rapid testing, in 5 δ volumes, of the plasmas of chickens with erythromyelo-blastic leukosis for their capacity to dephos-phorylate adenosine triphosphate. Since this enzymatic activity is related both to the number of virus particles and to the infectivity of the plasmas, the test provides the means either for the measurement of those qualities or for the selection of chicks possessing the qualities in the desired degree. There is a wide variation in this enzymatic activity among the individuals of the diseased chick population. For practical application to the study of erythromyeloblastic leukosis, the test is comparable with the hemagglutinative reaction with the influenza virus. The test in its present form would not be useful in the diagnosis of erythromyeloblastic leukosis which can be accomplished much more easily by blood smear. No experiments have been made to learn whether the reaction might occur with the plasma of birds with visceral lymphomatosis which is much more difficult to diagnose in the intact bird.