ABSTRACT
Viruses are obligate intracellular parasites that proliferate only within living cells. Early virus isolation and identification work required human volunteers, laboratory animals, or embryonated eggs (Table 1). Although animals remain useful for detection of certain groups of viruses, they are cumbersome and expensive to maintain in clinical practice. Suckling mice should be inoculated via the intracranial or intraperitoneal route at 24 to 48 hours of age for the most sensitive results. Thus, ready access to colonies of pregnant mice is required. Embryonated hens’ eggs are less expensive than laboratory animals but also require inoculation at specified ages, and unused eggs must be discarded before they hatch. Depending on the virus, allantoic or amniotic cavities or chorioallantoic membrane can be inoculated. Details for use of these systems for virus isolation have been published previously (1). Currently, these methods are reserved for specialized public health, reference, or research laboratories, or in the case of embryonated eggs, for vaccine production. However, they are too expensive and inconvenient for use in the routine diagnostic virology laboratory. Utility of Embryonated Eggs and Newborn Mice for Virus Isolation from Clinical Specimens https://www.niso.org/standards/z39-96/ns/oasis-exchange/table">
Culture method
Viruses isolated from clinical specimens
Embryonated hens’ eggs amniotic a and/or allantoic cavity
Influenza viruses and mumps virus
Embryonated hens’ eggs chorioallantoic membrane (CAM)
Poxviruses and herpes simplex viruses
Newborn (suckling) mice
Arboviruses, coxsackievirus groups A and B, herpes simplex viruses
Inoculation of amniotic cavity is preferable to allantoic cavity for primary isolation of influenza virus.
