Normal haematopoiesis, cellular components and stainable iron content in the bone marrow of camels (Camelus dromedarius).

Bone marrow samples were collected from the ribs of 20 healthy adult male Iranian camels (Camelus dromedarius). The bone marrow smears were stained using Wright's stain. Blood samples were collected at the same time for routine haematological examination. The development and morphology of the blood cells in the bone marrow of the camels were similar to those of other domestic species. The mean myeloid/erythroid ratio was 1.21, the mean erythroid percentage was 42.7% and the mean myeloid percentage was 52.0%. The mean percentage of other cells was 5.3%. The mean percentage of eosinophils in the myeloid series was higher than in other domestic species. Iron stores, estimated from Perl's stain, ranged from scant (1+) to moderate (3+) but most samples had 2+ iron content. All peripheral blood results were within reference ranges.