Penrith M L, Bezuidenhout A J, Burger W P, Putterill J F
Pathology Section, Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute, South Africa.
Onderstepoort J Vet Res. 1994 Dec;61(4):283-9.
Cloacas of male ostrich chicks that had suffered prolapse of the phallus and cloaca were compared with cloacas of normal ostrich chicks of both sexes from the same area. Heavy infection of the cloacal and bursal tissue with Cryptosporidium sp. was present in all the cases of prolapse, while no cryptosporidia were observed in the normal chicks. Histopathological lesions as described in cryptosporidial infection in other species were present in the infected cloacas. These included loss of the microvillous border and epithelial hyperplasia and degeneration, which was indicated ultrastructurally by vacuolation of the apical cytoplasm, swelling of organelles, and nuclear changes. It is suggested that these lesions, in combination with the anatomy of the male ostrich cloaca, may be responsible for prolapse of the phallus and cloaca.
对阴茎和泄殖腔脱垂的雄性鸵鸟雏鸟的泄殖腔，与来自同一地区的正常雌雄鸵鸟雏鸟的泄殖腔进行了比较。在所有脱垂病例中，泄殖腔和法氏囊组织均受到隐孢子虫属的严重感染，而在正常雏鸟中未观察到隐孢子虫。受感染的泄殖腔中出现了其他物种隐孢子虫感染中所描述的组织病理学病变。这些病变包括微绒毛边界丧失、上皮增生和变性，超微结构显示为顶端细胞质空泡化、细胞器肿胀和核变化。有人认为，这些病变与雄性鸵鸟泄殖腔的解剖结构相结合，可能是导致阴茎和泄殖腔脱垂的原因。
