Ukrainian Journal of Veterinary Sciences

Morphological features of immune structures in the stomach of turkeys during the post-vaccination period

Nadiia Dyshliuk, Natalya Mazur
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Abstract

Up to 70% of antigenic material enters the birds’ bodies via the digestive system; this material acts as an aetiological factor and leads to a range of diseases. Consequently, immune structures develop in their walls, the cells of which protect the body against agents carrying genetically foreign information. The aim of this study was to trace the development of immune formations in the stomach of turkeys under vaccination and to determine the timing of their morphofunctional maturity. For the study, 66 individuals of Big-6 turkeys were selected and divided into an experimental (vaccinated) and a control (unvaccinated) group. Material for histological examination was collected on days 1, 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 of life. It was shown that in turkeys of both the experimental and control groups, the structural organisation of lymphoid tissue, which forms the basis of immune formations, develops in stages – from diffuse accumulations of lymphocytes to the formation of pre-nodules and lymphoid nodules. Thus, in day-old turkeys, local accumulations of diffusely arranged lymphocytes were observed in the glandular part of the stomach, maintaining close contact with epithelial cells of the surface epithelium and the epithelium of tubular glands. By day 10, pre-nodules with a denser arrangement of lymphocytes were recorded in both groups, while in the experimental group primary lymphoid nodules bounded by a capsule were also present. The latter were detected in the control group from day 20. Secondary lymphoid nodules with germinal centres in the glandular part of the stomach were observed in the experimental group from day 20, and in the control group from day 30, indicating the state of morphofunctional maturity of the immune formations. In the muscular part of the stomach, immune formations were poorly developed. In turkeys of both groups, isolated accumulations of lymphocytes were recorded from day 30, and in some individuals of the experimental group, clusters of secondary lymphoid nodules were detected in the deep layers of the muscular coat by day 50. The obtained results make it possible to clarify the mechanisms of specific immune response associated with T- and B-cells, which will contribute to the development of new effective strategies for combating poultry diseases

Keywords

histological studies; histotopography; diffuse lymphoid tissue; pre-nodules; lymphoid nodules; morphofunctional maturity; poultry

Suggested citation
Dyshliuk, N., & Mazur, N. (2026). Morphological features of immune structures in the stomach of turkeys during the post-vaccination period. Ukrainian Journal of Veterinary Sciences, 17(1), 107-127. https://doi.org/10.31548/veterinary1.2026.92
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