TRYPANOSOMA-RHODESIENSE AND T BRUCEI . ABSENCE OF ANTIBODIES IN CHICKEN EMBRYOS

With the need to produce trypanosomes of constant antigenic type in mind, the antibody response of chicken embryos infected with Trypanosoma rhodesiense and T. brucei was examined. Embryos were infected at different ages (7-14 days of embryonic life) and sera were collected up to and after hatching. The postinoculation maintenance period from infection to collection of sera varied from 5 to 21 days. However, neither agglutinating antibodies, nor antibodies detectable by the fluorescent antibody test could be demonstrated. No explanation can be given for the observed fluctuations in parasitemia, although in mammalian hosts, this is generally believed to be a result of antibody production. © 1969.