Effect of host lineage on the virulence of Campylobacter jejuni/coli in the chick embryo model.

The chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) inoculated chick embryo model was used to study the effect of host lineage on the virulence of Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli. LD50 values were used to compare the susceptibilities of chick embryos from eight inbred chicken lines to infection by four strains of C. jejuni and one strain of C. coli. Differences in susceptibility were found between inbred chicken lines. These were shown not to be due to maternal antibody status, nor transfer of antibody to the developing embryo. Susceptibility to infection was also found to vary according to the Campylobacter strain used. These results indicate that both the bacterial strain and host lineage of the chicken line used affect resistance to infection in the CAM inoculated chick embryo model.