Age-related development and histomorphological observation of bursa of Fabricius in yellow quails

摘要

The purpose of this study was to observe the age-related development and histomorphological changes in the bursa of Fabricius (BF) in Chinese yellow quails. One hundred and twenty Chinese yellow quails were divided into 12 groups. After dissecting, the weight, length, width and index analysis of the BF were determined, and histomorphological observation was performed using hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining at different ages. The weight of the BF gradually increased with age from 0 to 5 wk, reached a peak at 5 wk (100.23 +/- 6.47), then decreased quickly from 5 to 9 wk (63.21 +/- 3.90) and decreased slowly after 9 wk (P0.05). The length of the BF was greater at 5 wk old than at 0 wk old (11.00 +/- 2.45 vs. 5.00 +/- 1.15, P0.05), and there was no significant difference after 5 wk of age (P > 0.05). The width of the BF was similar to the length. The organ index was higher at 1 wk of age compared with 5 wk of age (1.25 +/- 0.11 vs. 0.71 +/- 0.05, P0.05) and reached its maximum from 0 to 36 wk of age. Histomorphological analysis revealed the different development stages of the BF at different ages. We detected the age-related development of the BF in Chinese yellow quails and observed the histomorphological modifications. This study may help increase our understanding of the quail's immune system and provide a basis for immunization research in Chinese yellow quails.