Ten healthy female geese, aged 10-18 months, were used in this study. The sources of the geese were
the local market, and a breeding house in Benha. Immediately after the geese were humanely
sacrificed and eviscerated, fresh samples were taken. The samples were obtained from the last segment
of the vagina of the left oviduct. Samples were randomly divided into parts: samples from seven geese
were fixed in 10% neutral buffered formalin for the light microscope study; and the other three
samples were fixed in 2.5 % gluteraldehyde for transmission electron microscopy(TEM) examination.
The light microscopic studies revealed that the wall of the vagina in geese is formed of tunica mucosa,
tunica sub mucosa, tunica muscularis and tunica serosa. In addition, it was observed that the luminal
mucosa of the vagina is folded, and is lined by pseudo stratified columnar ciliated cells. The lamina
propria-mucosae is made of loose fibrous connective tissue which is devoid of secretory glands, but
contains sperm storage glands. The TEM showed that the lining epithelium is formed of ciliated cells,
that exhibit long cylindrical cilia, and the non-ciliated secretory cells. The cells of the lining epithelial
possess rounded and oval mitochondria, RER ribosome particles, and small size electron lucent
secretory granules in their secretory cells. The nuclei of the epithelial cells are euchromatic, each with
a prominent nucleolus. |
