[Investigations on toxic fractions of swine erysipelas bacteria (erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae). 1. Communication: Toxicity investigation on a phenol water extract in chicken embryos (author's transl)].

The watersoluble fractions (WESTPHAL et al., 1952 a, b) of twelve Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae strains, which differed in virulence were tested for toxicity for ten day old chick-embryos by the route of i.v. injection. The LD50-values ranged from 108 mug to 0.01 mug toxin dry weight/embryo. The different toxicity of these extracts for chick-embryos was compared with the virulence of the corresponding strains in swine: The extracts of four strains with high virulence were very toxic for chick-embryos (LD50:0,01 mug to 0.207 mug) The extracts of four non-virulent strains were low-, respectively non-toxic (LD50:10.95 mug to 108 mug) The extract of one virulent strain showed an intermediate degree of toxicity (LD50:2.8 mug) In tese nine strains there was a correlation between virulence for swine and the toxicity of the extracts for chick-embryos. But this relation could not be found for three other strains.