RESUMO
Eimeria (E.) tenella (local isolate) sporozoites were adapted on the chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) of 10-12 days chicken embryos and completed its life cycle in 6~7 days at 39 degrees C and 70 per cent humidity. Only 23 embryos (4.6%) were found dead from 1~4 day post inoculation of sporozoites with mild lesions on CAM with no gametocytes but few sporozoites in chorioallantoic fluid (CAF). On 5~7 day post inoculation, 432 embryos (86.4%) were found dead with severe haemorrhages on CAM and CAF contained uncountable number of gametocytes. After seven days post inoculation, 45 embryos (9%) were found to be alive. Some oocysts were also detected in the CAF on 6~7 days post inoculation. In the histological sections of the CAM, there were abundant small dark colored rounded bodies of gametes; distributed extensively in tissues of CAM on 5~7 days post inoculation of sporozoites. In some cases, cluster of small mature and immature relatively large bodies were seen in increasing numbers on 5~6 days post inoculation.