[A contribution to infection with yellow fever virus 17D in chick embryos (author's transl)]

During the production of yellow fever virus 17 D vaccine from chick embryos, few embryos die in the time between injection of the eggs and harvest of the embryos. In order to answer the question whether the death of the embryos is due to the infection or to the injury caused by the injection, it is necessary to examine the embryos macro- and microscopically for pathological changes. 8 and 9 days old chick embryos were inoculated into the amniotic cavity with different concentrations of yellow fever virus 17 D (table 1). The embryos were removed from the eggs between the 2nd and 7th day after inoculation. Heart, lung, kidney, brain, liver, and spleen were removed. Macroscopically observable pathological symptoms of the embryos and their organs were recorded. Sections of the organs were histologically investigated. Some embryos died soon after the infection, others on the 5th and 6th day of incubation (table 2). Their death was dependent on the dosage of the inoculum. Macroscopically, some embryos showed oedemas, petechiae on head and trunk, haemorrhages of liver and kidney, enlargement of liver and spleen, and a yellow discolouration of the liver (table 3). Microscopically, liver and brain showed the greatest pathological changes; heart and kidney were also affected, whereas lungs and spleen seemed to be unaffected. The following pathological changes were observed: slight fatty degeneration, oedemas, vascular inflammation, perivascular infiltrates, diffuse infiltrations, infiltrations in form of small nodules and necroses (table 3 and figures 1-12). the severity of the symptoms was evaluated using arbitrary units. These units are summarized on table 3 according to time of occurrence p.i., to virus dilution, to organ, and to type of symptom. An index of pathological changes was allived by dividing the sum of units by the number of organs. The maximum value of the index was demonstrable in liver and brain (table 4). Figure 13 adn table 5 show the development of the lesions during the infection. The maximum value of the index was reached on the 5th day p.i. The most significant pathological changes, as necrosis and perivascular infiltrate, were mainly observed from the 5th day p.i. on (table 6). The perivascular infiltrates were found in heart and brain, the necroses in brain and liver (table 7).