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Avian eggs have a proteinaceous cuticle covering the outside of the eggshell forming a barrier to the transmission of microorganisms. Although the cuticle is similar to the organic matrix, its secretion is separate from the organic matrix and occurs just prior to oviposition. Using NGS sequence it was possible to investigate genes that might be involved in cuticle deposition, which suggested that an endogenous clock may control events in the uterus, including cuticle deposition. There is considerable variation within breeds of chicken and indeed between species in the quantity of cuticle deposition. Around 40% of the variation within chicken breeds is genetically determined. Environmental stressors explain some of the variation but the remainder is not known. Within the range of natural variation there are considerable differences in the antimicrobial protection that the cuticle affords the egg. The eggs with the best cuticle are not penetrated when challenged by E.coli and Salmonella. Interestingly, although the cuticle protein had intrinsic antimicrobial activity, we could not prove that the glycosylation level was important for this activity. The cuticle is a fascinating structure with antimicrobial effects but also on the shell, which has been rarely studied.  

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