Tonsils form Waldeyer's ring which guards all body orifices. They form the first line of defense against foreign antigens and play a key role in initiating immune responses. The lingual tonsils react to ingested antigen and are replication sites of some pathogens. The data about the lingual tonsils of buffalo are lacking, therefore the present work studied the lingual tonsils of 5 buffalo calves (40-60 days). Fresh lingual tonsils were examined macroscopically and used for microscopic and ultrastructural investigations. The lingual tonsils were formed from several elevated macroscopic spherical masses on the dorso-lateral surface of the tongue with central crypt. The surface and crypt was covered with stratified squamous non-keratinized epithelium. An incomplete capsule encloses all the tonsils except at the crypt. The parenchyma was formed mainly from lymphoid follicles and interfollicular diffused lymphocytes. The lymphoid follicles arranged as one layer around the crypts. The interfollicular regions were formed from diffused lymphocytes supported with reticular fibers. High endothelial venules were present among these lymphocytes. Groups of mucous secreting units were distributed among the tonsilar units enclosed within the connective tissue capsule.
Key words: Camel, BALT, Bronchus, BronchiolesThe BALT is an organized lymphoid tissue in the mucosa of the bronchi and bronchioles that samples antigens leading to lymphocytes stimulation. This vital structure was studied in different species but not in the camel. Therefore this work studied the bronchi and bronchioles of 14 healthy camels of different ages (10 months -12 years) using light and transmission electron microscope. BALT was regularly present in all specimens studied. It was variable in locations and structures. BALT was found in the form of patches across the circumference of the bronchial tree in the form of loose lymphocytic aggregations to a well-organized lymphoid tissue with secondary lymphoid follicles. It was localized in the lamina propria and sub mucosa or even the adventitia. At the margin of BALT, several high endothelial venules and lymphatics were localized. The BALT associated epithelium was formed from ordinary pseudo-stratified columnar ciliated epithelium with goblet cells in the bronchi and simple columnar in the bronchioles. Interepithelial lymphocytic infiltration of variable number was observed.
The skin of five male Egyptian camels (Camelus dromedarius) between 10 and15 years old and five male camels between 3 and5 years old were collected and prepared for transmission electron microscopy to study the non-keratinocytes. The melanocytes of camel skin were more numerous in adult camels than in young ones, with a higher number of melanin granules in adults. Merkel cells of camel skin had lobulated nuclei mainly in adult camels, which had also a higher number of dense cored granules than the young ones. But intranuclear rodlets were observed only in young camel skin. The Langerhans cells of adult camel skin were greater in number than in young ones. Round nuclei of Merkel cells were seen only in adult skin. Langerhans cell granules were detected but without a clear racquet shape: rod shapes only could be detected in cross, oblique and longitudinal sections and they were surrounded by a trilaminar membrane. The Langerhans cell granules were few in number inside each cell. All these findings might suggest that the skin is well adapted to protect the animal against harmful effect of the ultraviolet rays of the Egyptian desert environment. This effect mainly increased with age.
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