Ultrastructural Morphology of Erythrocytes, Reticulocytes and Mononuclear Cells of Indigenous Fowl (Gallus domesticus)

Abstract

The experiment was conducted to understand the ultrastructural morphology of the erythrocytes, reticulocytes and mononuclear cells (thrombocytes, lymphocytes and monocytes) of the Uttara fowl (local hill fowl of Uttarakhand). The study was conducted on 10 apparently healthy and adult fowl of either sex, reared at Instructional poultry farm, G.B.P.U.A&T, Pantnagar, Uttarakhand. The blood was collected from wing vein using E.D.T.A as anticoagulant. Transmission electron micrographs showed that fowl erythrocytes were elliptical in shape with oval nucleus and homogenous cytoplasm. The reticulocytes were nucleated and cytoplasm was homogenous with few polysomes and mitochondria. The thrombocytes were round with central nucleus and contained few granules in the cytoplasm. The small lymphocytes were rounded with few cytoplasmic processes. The medium lymphocytes were oval to round in appearance with prominent foot like cytoplasmic processes or pseudopodia. In the large lymphocytes ectoplasm appeared vacuolated due to presence of numerous small vacuoles. The monocytes were roughly round in shape with finger like cytoplasmic processes. The cell had bean shaped nucleus containing few patches of heterochromatin. The mitochondria, golgi apparatus, rough as well as smooth endoplasmic reticulum and large number of membrane bound empty vesicles of varying size were observed.