The Transmission of Diphtheria Antitoxin from Hen to Egg

Abstract

Summary Subcutaneous injection of laying hens with diphtheria toxoid resulted in the appearance of a low but definite antitoxin potency in the serum. Simultaneously, diphtheria antitoxin appeared in the eggs, and was found to be associated with the second protein, livetin, of the yolk. There was some indication of a parallel relationship between the concentration of antitoxin in the blood serum and its concentration in the livetin fraction of the yolk.