Ukrainian Journal of Veterinary Sciences

Peyer's patches belong to peripheral organs of immunogenesis. They are represented by gut associated lymphoid tissue. Together with other immune formations of the digestive system (tonsils, Meckel's diverticulum, apical diverticula), Peyer's patches provide protection of animals organism from antigens that enter with food and water. In this context, the localization of lymphoid tissue and its structure in the immune formations of the intestinal wall of waterfowl requires a more detailed study. The goal of the work was to study the peculiarities of localization of lymphoid tissue in the Peyer's patch of the ileum of ducks. Established, that three Peyer’s patches are defined in a jejunum of ducks. Their form is the closed ring-shaped tapes which are located on perimeter in intestine. Their length and width increase with the age of the birds. The maximum values of the morphometric parameters (length, width) of the first Peyer's patch and the length of the second and third reaches at 120-day-old birds, and the width of the latter is greatest in 20-day birds. Lymphoid tissue in the Peyer's patches of the jejunum appears from the one-day age of ducks. Its maximum development is noted at the 150-day age of the bird (59.58 ± 0.66 %). The presence of all levels of lymphoid tissue structural organization (diffuse lymphoid tissue, prenodules, primary lymphoid nodules and secondary lymphoid nodules), indicates on its morphofunctional maturity, that is, the ability to give a complete immune response to the action of antigen. The complete morphofunctional maturity of the lymphoid tissue of the Peyer's patches of jejunum is reached in the 15-day-age duck

ducks, intestine, small intestine, jejunum, Peyer’s patches, lymphoid tissue, diffuse lymphoid tissue, prenodules, primary lymphoid nodules, secondary lymphoid nodules