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Age‐related changes in the avian primary lymphoid organs (thymus and bursa of Fabricius)
Author(s) -
Ciriaco Emilia,
Píñera Pablo P.,
DíazEsnal Belén,
Laurà Rosaria
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
microscopy research and technique
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.536
H-Index - 118
eISSN - 1097-0029
pISSN - 1059-910X
DOI - 10.1002/jemt.10416
Subject(s) - bursa of fabricius , involution (esoterism) , lymphatic system , biology , atrophy , pathology , anatomy , zoology , immunology , spleen , medicine , genetics , neuroscience , consciousness
Abstract The avian primary lymphoid organs, the thymus and the bursa of Fabricius, undergo age‐dependent changes leading in some cases to the complete atrophy of the organ. Nevertheless, the timetable of the involutive process as well as the consequences in the structure and functionality of the organs vary largely in the time frame and structural changes among species. On the other hand, and in contrast with the large body of literature reporting the structural and functional changes in mammalian primary lymphoid organs, the age‐dependent changes in avian thymus and bursa of Fabricius are scarce, fragmentary, and heterogeneous. This article reviews the current literature on this topic, and focuses primarily on the involution of the bursa of Fabricius. Microsc. Res. Tech. 62:482–487, 2003. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.