[Pathogenicity of K. ozaenae for mice and chick embryos]

The authors tested the virulence of K. ozaenae--its old museum strains, the freshly isolated ones and those passaged on meat-peptone agar; experiments were carried out on mice and chick embryos. To mice the culture was administered intraperitoneally, subcutaneously, intranasally, and to embryos--into the allantoic cavity and on the chorioallantoic membrane. Irrespective of the method of administration, the freshly isolated strains were highly virulent both for mice and for chick embryos. The virulence of such strains decreased in the process of passaging on the nutrient medium. Old museum strains were of low virulence for albino mice and avirulent for chick embryos. In comparing the virulent and avirulent strains there were found no differences in the antigenic structure and toxicity of the Boiven complex, cytoplasm, membrane, capsular polysaccharide or whole virulent and avirulent bacteria killed by heating.