Ann. Méd. Vét., 2003, 147 (4), pp 251 - 258 Anatomical and histological aspect of the tonsils in sheepGabriel A., Cocquyt G., Broeck W. van den.Abstract :
Since 1 April 2002, the European Union has extended the Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy testing in ruminants by including sheep and goats in the survey studies. In small ruminants, the presence of the agent of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy was demonstrated in tonsils, so these are considered as specified risk materials. This article gives an overview of the anatomical localization and histological structure of the tonsils in small ruminants. Anatomically, 6 different tonsils can be distinguished: 3 are located in the oropharyngeal tract (tonsilla palatina, tonsilla lingualis, tonsilla veli palatini), 2 in the nasopharyngeal tract (tonsilla pharyngea and tonsilla tubaria), and one in the laryngopharyngeal tract (tonsilla paraepiglottica). Several tonsils show a cryptic overlying epithelium (cryptic tonsil) whereas others do not (non-cryptic tonsil). Several immunological features of the tonsils are described. Get the PDF Contact person : annick.gabriel@ulg.ac.be |