The fertile hen’s egg can be used to cultivate and propagate various types of viruses. Because of the ability to alter their tropism and to adapt to a new host species, many viruses become capable of growing in chick embryo tissues wherein they frequently attain a much higher concentration than in the tissues of the natural host.
STRUCTURE OF AN EGG
The extra-embryonic membranes of the chick embryo arise from three germinal layers: the endoderm, mesoderm and ectoderm (Fig. 1). The dorsal somatopleure consists of ectoderm on one side and mesoderm on the other side while the splanchnopleure consists of mesoderm and endoderm. By a process of folding, the somatopleure gives rise to the chorion and amnion while the allantois and yolk sac membranes develop from the splanchnopleure. The amnion arises from the head and caudal regions of the embryo, the membrane being reflected back to form the chorion. the amniotic membranes grow rapidly and fuse to form the amniotic sac by the 5th day. The allantois grows out as a bud from the hind gut of the embryo and enlarges rapidly. By the 10th day the allantois becomes attached to the outer layer of the amniotic sac and the inner layer of the chorion to form the chorioallantoic sac (CAS) which separates the chorion from the amnion. The fused chorionic and allantoic membranes are referred to as the chorioallantoic membrane (CAM).
Because the CAS represents a diverticulum of the gut, it serves as the excretory receptacle for the embryo. It contains from 5 to 10 ml of fluid with dissolved solids, the solution being clear in early stages but becoming turbid after the 12th day due to the presence of urates. The CAM is the respiratory organ of the embryo and thus is richly supplied with blood vessels. The embryo is surrounded by the amniotic sac and lies bathed in about 1 ml of amniotic fluid. The amniotic fluid, which contains much of the albumin in the egg, serves as a source of protein which is