Title: Evaluation of a quail embryo model for the detection of botulinum toxin type A activity

Authors: R. Jeff Buhr, Dianna V. Bourassa, Nelson A. Cox, L. Jason Richardson, Robert W. Phillips, Lynda C. Kelley

Addresses: Poultry Microbiological Safety Research Unit, Agricultural Research Service, US Department of Agriculture, Russell Research Center, P.O. Box 5677, Athens, GA 30604-5677, USA. ' Poultry Microbiological Safety Research Unit, Agricultural Research Service, US Department of Agriculture, Russell Research Center, P.O. Box 5677, Athens, GA 30604-5677, USA. ' Poultry Microbiological Safety Research Unit, Agricultural Research Service, US Department of Agriculture, Russell Research Center, P.O. Box 5677, Athens, GA 30604-5677, USA. ' Poultry Microbiological Safety Research Unit, Agricultural Research Service, US Department of Agriculture, Russell Research Center, P.O. Box 5677, Athens, GA 30604-5677, USA. ' Office of Public Health Science, Microbiological Food Defense and Emergency Response Branch, Food Safety Inspection Service, National Program Office, US Department of Agriculture, Russell Research Center, Athens, GA, 30605, USA. ' Office of Data Integration and Food Protection, Food Safety Inspection Service, US Department of Agriculture, Russell Research Center, Athens, GA, 30605, USA

Abstract: Day 15 quail embryos were evaluated as a bioassay to detect biologically active botulinum toxin serotype A (BoNT/A). Embryos injected with ≥20 ng BoNT had >74% determined nonviable; embryos injected with 10 to 0.5 ng BoNT were 70 to 45% nonviable; embryos injected with 1.0 to 0.1 ng BoNT were 59 to 18% nonviable. The LD50 for quail embryos was approximately 0.2 ng BoNT/embryo (28 μg BoNT/kg of body weight). Injection with BoNT did not interfere with yolk sac retraction into the abdominal cavity, but did restrict aircell and eggshell pipping, initiating morbidity and nonviable status and enabling preemptive euthanasia.

Keywords: botulinum toxin activity; quail embryo assay; serotype A botulinum toxin; antibodies; quail embryos; BoNT; bioassays; neurotoxins; yolk sac retraction; aircell restriction; eggshell pipping; morbidity; preemptive euthanasia; botulism; nonviable embryos.

DOI: 10.1504/TBJ.2009.031680

The Botulinum Journal, 2009 Vol.1 No.3, pp.281 - 296

Published online: 17 Feb 2010 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article