Recovery of the Bursa of Fabricius in Chickens After Cyclophosphamide Treatment

Abstract
Chickens were injected posthatching with cyclophosphamide in three different doses (total 8, 10, 11 mg). Histomorphological analysis of bursal tissue was performed up to 11 weeks of age. A probable biphasic recovery was observed in the majority of the chickens. The first phase of recovery is characterized by the appearance of solitary thioninophilic cells in reticuloepithelial follicles, followed in a few follicles by a redevelopment similar to embryonal follicular genesis. The late phase of recovery starts from week 7 on by infiltration of reticuloepithelial follicles with mature plasma cells in the manner of a peripheral lymphoid organ followed by thioninophilic lymphoid cells. The latter cells populate the follicles successively. Different transitions to normal follicles then take place. These investigations confirm observations of a reconstitution of bursal compartments starting some weeks later than the recovery of thymus, which takes place 2 weeks after cyclophosphamide treatment.