The test for chlamydial agents provided in this section shall be conducted when such a test is prescribed in an applicable standard requirement or in a filed Outline of Production.

(a) The yolk sac of 6-day-old chicken embryos shall be injected. Three groups of 10 embryos shall be used sequentially.

(1) The inoculum for each embryo in the first group shall consist of 0.5 ml of a mixture of equal parts of the seed virus with phosphate buffered saline that may contain Streptomycin, Vancomycin, Kanamycin, or a combination thereof. Not more than 2 mg/ml of each antibiotic shall be used.

(2) On the 10th day postinoculation, the yolk sac of viable embryos shall be harvested, pooled, homogenized as a 20 percent suspension in phosphate buffered saline antibiotic diluent, and 0.5 ml of the mixture injected into the second group of chicken embryos. This process shall be repeated for the injection of the third group of embryos using the yolk sacs of viable embryos from the second group.

(3) For each of the three passages, embryo deaths occurring within 48 hours of injection shall be disregarded, except that if more than three such deaths occur at any passage, that passage shall be repeated.

(b) If one or more embryo deaths occur at any passage after 48 hours postinjection, the yolk sacs from each of the dead embryos shall be subcultured into 10 additional embryos. If one or more embryo deaths again occur due to chlamydial agents, the Master Seed Virus is unsatisfactory for use to produce vaccine.

[44 FR 58899, Oct. 12, 1979]