Skeletal alterations induced by chloramphenicol in chick embryo.

The experiment was carried out on 200 Rock hen eggs. Three doses of chloramphenicol, 5 mg/egg, 2.5 mg/egg, and 0.5 mg/egg were administered. At the end of the incubation time the surviving enbryos were processed according to Dawson's method. The differences between some bones from the experimental lot and those from the controls as well as malformations and survivals were studied. The results confirm the teratogenic action, the inhibitory effect on skeletal development and the lethal effect of chloramphenicol. These effects are explained by the interrelation between chloramphenicol and the mesenchymal cell.