Previous work has shown that acute exposures to chlorpyrifos (CPS; diethyl 3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridyl phosphorothionate) cannot produce > 70% inhibition of brain neurotoxic esterase (NTE) and cause organophosphorus compound-induced delayed neurotoxicity (OPIDN) unless the dose is well in excess of the LD50, necessitating aggressive therapy for cholinergic toxicity. The present study was carried out to determine if repeated doses of CPS at the maximum tolerated daily dose without prophylaxis against cholinergic toxicity could cause cumulative inhibition of NTE and OPIDN. Adult hens were dosed daily for 20 days with CPS (10 mg/kg/day po in 2 ml/kg corn oil) or corn oil (vehicle control) (2 ml/kg/day po) and observed for an additional 4 weeks. Brain acetylcholinesterase (AChE), brain and lymphocyte NTE, and plasma butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE) activities were assayed on Days 0 (control only), 4, 10, 15, 20, and 48. During Days 4-20, brain AChE and plasma BuChE activities from CPS-treated hens were inhibited 58-70% and 49-80% of contemporaneous controls, respectively. At 4 weeks after the end of dosing, brain AChE activity in treated birds had recovered to 86% of control and plasma BuChE activity was 134% of control. Brain and lymphocyte NTE activities of treated animals throughout the study were 82-99% and 85-128% of control, respectively. Neither brain nor lymphocyte NTE activities in treated hens exhibited cumulative inhibition. The 18% inhibition of brain NTE seen on days 10 and 20 was significant, but substantially below the putative threshold for OPIDN.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)