Heterophilic leucocytes are the predominant granulocytes in the ovary and ultimobranchial glands of the adult fowl.
Pieces of ovary and ultimobranchial gland from adult laying hens were examined by an indirect peroxidase technique which differentiated tissue eosinophil and heterophil leucocytes. The results showed that in both organs, brown-staining peroxidase-positive eosinophils were greatly out-numbered by pink- to red-staining heterophils, thus demonstrating that eosinophils are not the dominant granulocyte present, as has been widely reported. It is suggested that the heterophils may be required in a phagocytic role.
D000818:Animals; D002645:Chickens / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D004804:Eosinophils / Q000166:cytology; D005260:Female; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000166:cytology*; D010053:Ovary / Q000166:cytology*; D014460:Ultimobranchial Body / Q000166:cytology*