Dervas E, Michalopoulou E, Hepojoki J, Thiele T, Baggio F, Hetzel U, Kipar A
Institute of Veterinary Pathology, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, Switzerland.
Institute of Veterinary Pathology, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, Switzerland.
Dev Comp Immunol. 2025 Jan;162:105302. doi: 10.1016/j.dci.2024.105302. Epub 2024 Dec 16.
Knowledge on the structure and composition of the haematopoietic tissue (HT) is essential to understand the basic immune functions of the immune system in any species. For reptiles, it is extremely limited, hence we undertook an in-depth in situ investigation of the HT (bone marrow, thymus, spleen, lymphatic tissue of the alimentary tract) in the common boa (Boa constrictor). We also assessed age- and disease-related changes, with a special focus on Boid Inclusion Body Disease, a highly relevant reptarenavirus-associated disease in boid snakes. The HT was subjected to gross, histological and ultrastructural examination, including special stains to highlight collagen and reticulin fibers and iron, immunohistochemistry, in situ hybridization and morphometric analyses. In general, the HT was dominated by T cells and lacked a clear structural organization, such as follicle formation. BIBD was associated with significantly higher cellularity and a granulomatous response in the spleen, and the presence of virus-infected haematopoietic cells in the bone marrow, suggesting the latter as a persistent source of viremia.
了解造血组织（HT）的结构和组成对于理解任何物种免疫系统的基本免疫功能至关重要。对于爬行动物来说，这方面的知识极其有限，因此我们对普通蟒蛇（Boa constrictor）的HT（骨髓、胸腺、脾脏、消化道淋巴组织）进行了深入的原位研究。我们还评估了与年龄和疾病相关的变化，特别关注蟒类包涵体病，这是一种与蟒蚺科蛇类高度相关的爬行动物相关病毒引起的疾病。对HT进行了大体、组织学和超微结构检查，包括用于突出胶原蛋白、网状纤维和铁的特殊染色、免疫组织化学、原位杂交和形态计量分析。总体而言，HT以T细胞为主，缺乏明确的结构组织，如滤泡形成。蟒类包涵体病与脾脏中显著更高的细胞密度和肉芽肿反应相关，并且在骨髓中存在病毒感染的造血细胞，这表明骨髓是病毒血症的持续来源。
