The Embryo Lethality Assay is proposed as a model to evaluate the virulence of E. faecalis strains

What is it about?

This study is part of my Ph.D., which is entitled “Virulence characterization of avian Enterococcus faecalis field isolates and genetic approach to select more resistant laying hens”. It has been developed a generic methodology of the ELA as a diagnostic model to establish the pathogenicity of E. faecalis strains in embryos of white layers. Of particular interest was to determine the virulence of the avian E. faecalis strain K923/96 and assess its median lethality dose (LD50) in order to use it as reference strain in further analyses.

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Why is it important?

The methodology proposed in this experiment can be used as reference in further researches on E. faecalis virulence taking into account that the EMR produced in the ELA depends on the dose; the higher the infectious dose, the greater the EMR and the lower the embryo survival time.