ALTEX :: Alternatives to Animal Experiments

1992, Volume 2

Polyclonal Avian Antibodies Extracted from Egg Yolk as an Alternative to the Production of Antibodies in Mammals--A Review

Ruediger Schade¹, Anne Schniering¹ and Andreas Hlinak²

¹Institut für Pharmakologie und Toxikologie der Medizinischen Fakultaet (Charité); ²Institut fuer Virologie und Gefluegelkrankheiten der Veterinaer-Medizinischen Fakultaet der Humboldt-Universitaet D-Berlin

SUMMARY

Polyclonal avian antibodies (AB) extracted from chicken egg yolk can be considered as a real alternative to the traditional AB production in laboratory mammals. Besides the advantage of a non-invasive AB sampling, the amount of specific extractable AB is much higher in egg yolk than in rabbits in the same time period. This paper presents the methodology of IgY production and extraction particularly considering the mode of antigen injection, immunization schedule as well as titre development. The paper gives information about groups of antigens used for immunization so far, immunological methods applied and fields of IgY application. Furthermore, based on data from literature, IgY and IgG are compared with respect to properties important for immunological use.

Keywords: avian antibodies, egg yolk, IgY, immunization schedule, titre development