Normal Yolk Research Articles

Studies on Lymphogranuloma Venereum Complement-Fixing Antigens

Summary A high percentage of serums from patients in the early stages of syphilis gave complement fixation reactions with phenolized boiled antigens prepared either from yolk sacs infected with lymphogranuloma venereum or from normal yolk sacs. Such nonsepcific reactions preclude a serological diagnosis of lymphogranuloma venereum. The nonspecific reactions observed with syphilitic serums were completely eliminated by using phenolized boiled supernate-antigens. Phenolized boiled supernate-antigens prepared from yolk sacs infected with lymphogranuloma venereum also gave positive complement fixation reactions with the serums of patients recovered from psittacosis and ornithosis. These cross reactions emphasize the close antigenic relationship within the psittacosislymphogranuloma venereum group of viruses.

A Pedunculate, Double-Yolked Hen's Egg Containing an Intrafollicular Ovum

DOUBLU-YOLKSD eggs are familiar objects, but, so far as the writer can determine, the voluminous literature on abnormal eggs contains only two records of specimens like the one illustrated in Plate 7 (upper figure). Description. The egg was left at this department without any record of its history, and by the time it was brought to the writer's attention, the donor could not be traced. The egg weighed 71.6 grams, which is almost 20 per cent less than the 86.26 grams given by Pearl (1910) as the average weight of 18 double-yolked eggs in his collection. It resembled other double-yolked eggs in shape, but differed in being apparently truncated at the large end and showing there a dark peduncle, not unlike the stem of a pear, which protruded through the shell membranes. The latter were covered with a thin encrustation of shell. There was no air cell and no shell at the larger end other than this slight deposit on the membranes. The latter were sunken so that, when the egg was held vertically with large end upward, the surface of the membranes was slightly concave. At first glance, it seemed as if the shell at the large end had been removed, leaving only the inner shell membrane, which would have formed the base of the air cell in any normal egg. Closer examination showed that it was more likely that the large end had never had any covering of shell other than the very thin layer over the membranes. This seemed probable because (1) the normal thick shell flared slightly outward where it terminated at the periphery of the membranous area, and (2) on dissection of that part, both inner and outer shell membranes were found. If the egg had ever been completely covered and some shell then removed from the large end, the outer shell membrane would have been lost with it. When a window was cut in the shell, the nature of the abnormality was evident. In addition to a normal yolk, the egg contained another that was still enclosed in its follicle (Plate 7). It was the twisted stalk of the latter that protruded through the membranes. The larger blood vessels in the follicle were quite distinct, as was the stigma, the crescentic area free of blood vessels which normally ruptures to release the ovum from the ovary. The abnormal follicle with stalk and contents weighed only 7.4 grams. It was spherical in shape, with diameters varying from 23 to 25 mm. These figures indicate that it was

IMMUNOLOGIC RELATIONSHIP OF DONOVANIA GRANULOMATIS TO GRANULOMA INGUINALE

1. A washed bacterial suspension of Donovan microorganisms cultivated in the yolk of chick embryos was used as an antigen in intracutaneous tests in 6 cases of granuloma inguinale in the active stage of the disease. These injections were responded to by an extensive erythematous and edematous reaction that reached its height in 24 hours and disappeared within 48 hours later. Four control cases without granuloma inguinale did not react to the injection to any greater extent than would be expected from the slight trauma incident to them. The skin of the reacting patients responded in a similar manner but to a lesser extent to a filtrate of infected yolk. Simultaneous control injections of filtered normal yolk demonstrated that sensitivity to normal yolk was not responsible for the reactions. 2. A mucoid material present in infected yolk, soluble in N/100 NaOH, and precipitable by N/100 HCl was recovered and purified by repeated acid precipitation, extraction with ether, washing in distilled water, and dissolution in N/100 NaOH. We regard this material to be of capsular origin. 3. The presumptive capsular material injected intradermally elicited a somewhat different and milder reaction in patients with active granuloma inguinale, but we regard it as specific. 4. The "capsularrdquo; material in suitable dilution elicited distinct precipitation reactions when mixed with the serum from 18 of 19 cases of active granuloma inguinale. Serum from 1 active case showed no precipitation. Sixty-four serums, including 6 from lymphopathia venereum patients and 18 from Wassermann- or Kahn-positive patients, and 1 from an early chancroid failed to precipitate. Two serums from a total of 66 used as controls showed a precipitate in the presence of the capsular material. These patients gave no history or evidence of granuloma inguinale. 5. The "capsular" material fixed complement in the presence of serum from patients with granuloma inguinale. Serum from 12 of 15 cases of granuloma inguinale demonstrated complement fixation. Three failed to fix complement. Of 19 control serums 18 failed to fix complement in the presence of the capsular material and 1 fixed only a very slight amount of complement. None of these serums nor the capsular material itself was anticomplementary. 6. The high proportion of precipitation and complement fixation reactions obtained from patients with active granuloma inguinale is indicative of a specific immunological relationship of the Donovan microorganism cultivated in embryonic yolk to the disease, granuloma inguinale. 7. We suggest that one or all of these methods might be so standardized as to be of distinct diagnostic value.

A Toxic Factor Associated with the Agent of Lymphogranuloma Venereum

The production of a toxic factor during the development of the agent of lymphogranuloma venereum has been suspected for the following reasons: (A) The disease can occur in man in severe generalized form with marked headache, chills, and other symptoms suggesting toxemia. (B) The cause of death of the chick embryo after yolk-sac infection is most readily explicable as due to a toxin, since the agent does not invade the embryo to any great extent and disturbance of nutrition would appear unimportant since weight of embryos dead of the infection does not differ from that of uninfected embryos of the same age. (C) In mice, convulsive deaths occurring some 30 hours after intracerebral inoculation suggest toxemia and are not wholly accounted for by the lesions formed in the meninges. Bearing on this problem Gildermeister and Haagen have demonstrated a “toxin” from rickettsia grown in the yolk-sac of the developing embryo. A toxic product has been demonstrated in the heavily infected yolk-sac of moribund embryos. Little is present in less heavily infected yolk-sacs, i.e., those from embryos which would not die for another 12 or 24 hours, and it disappears after death if the eggs remain in the incubator or more slowly if at room temperature. Yolk-sacs are shaken in their own yolk and fluids to make a 1/5 or 1/10 suspension and further dilutions are prepared in broth, normal yolk, or normal serum (human, rabbit, or calf). Even under favorable conditions the toxic factor is not present in large amounts, and it has not been possible to demonstrate it in dilutions of infected yolk-sac higher than 1/40 or of infected yolk higher than 1/2 (Table I).

Partial Ovarian Ablation Concurrent With Egg Formation

ALTHOUGH many cases of abnormal eggs have been reported, the writers are not familiar with an abnormality similar to the one reported here. Hutt (1939) reports an intrafollicular ovum laid by a White Leghorn pullet, and cites a description by Laboulbène (1859) of an egg that contained both a normal yolk and an unruptured follicle. Hutt observed no albuminous covering, shell membranes, or shell on the unruptured follicle, but there was a stalk attached to it.On June 12, 1939, a New Hampshire pullet, 7123, a battery maintained bird, laid the egg shown in Figure 1. The egg was observed by the attendant shortly after it was laid. During the interval from June 12 to August 20 this pullet produced 28 eggs which was a similar rate of production to that before the abnormal egg was laid. The phenomenon apparently had no effect on the health of the pullet.The .

Egg Deterioration Due to Ingestion by Hens of Malvaceous Materials

THE effects of ingestion of cottonseed by hens on quality of eggs produced was first reported by Sherwood (1928) who found that eggs from birds on a diet containing cottonseed meal developed marked changes during storage. In some eggs the yolk became greenish brown in color, in some it turned reddish, and in others it had a mottled yellow appearance. Many of the yolks became spongy or developed a gelatinous consistency. The color of the albumen varied from normal to pink. When the ration contained large amounts of cottonseed meal (38 percent) the discoloration could often be noticed in fresh eggs.The occurrence of a similar type of storage deterioration in commercial pack was reported by Lorenz, Almquist, and Hendry (1933) and by Lorenz and Almquist (1934). The yolks of these rejected eggs were invariably reddish or salmon colored, and were markedly larger than normal yolks. They were of watery .

An Interesting Example of a Ruptured Oviduct

On May 14, 1919, a Rhode Island Red was found to be too heavy in the abdomen to stand erect. She was killed and examined on May 15.Five soft-shell eggs were taken from her abdominal cavity. The eggs are shown in the cut and the weights and sizes are: Weight.Diameter.Length122 grams2 ¼″2 ⅝″117 “2 ⅛″3″111 “2 ⅛″2 ¾″90 “2″2 ¾″16 “1 ⅛″1 ½″In addition to the normal yolks the eggs were filled with a mixture of albumen and water. The large size of four of the eggs was probably due to the entrance of the body liquid into the egg by osmotic pressure.As there were masses of yolk material in the abdominal cavity, evidently a number of yolks had traversed the oviduct rapidly and fallen into the body cavity. The …

STUDIES ON THE PHYSIOLOGY OF REPRODUCTION IN THE DOMESTIC FOWL

STUDIES ON THE PHYSIOLOGY OF REPRODUCTION IN THE DOMESTIC FOWL

ON THE ORIGIN OF DOUBLE-YOLKED EGGS

Previous articleNext article FreeJournal ArticlesON THE ORIGIN OF DOUBLE-YOLKED EGGSOTTO GLASEROTTO GLASER Search for more articles by this author PDFPDF PLUS Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail SectionsMoreDetailsFiguresReferencesCited by The Biological Bulletin Volume 24, Number 3February 1913 Published in association with the Marine Biological Laboratory Article DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1086/BBLv24n3p175 Views: 108 © 1913 Marine Biological LaboratoryPDF download Crossref reports no articles citing this article.