Thesis (M.Sc.) - Cairo University - Faculty of Veterinary Medicine - Department of Histology and Cytology

This study was conducted on fifty apparent healthy adult Japanese quail of both sexes with average age ranged from (8-9) weaks and average weight ranged from (250 - 300gm). After slaughtering of quail, small pieces from cervical and thoracic part of oesophagus, crop, proventriculus and longitudinal section of oesophago proventricular junction, proventricular gizzard junction, cranial and caudal sacs of gizzard, middle gizzard and pyloric region were collected. These organs were examined for histological, histochemical, ultrastructural and immunohistochemistry. The oesophageal mucosa was lined by stratified squamous non keratinized epithelium under which the lamina propria contained oesophageal glands. The proventricular mucosa was thrown into plicae and sulci which lined by simple columnar epithelium. This epithelium showed positive reaction to Periodic acid Schiff (PAS), Alcian blue, Aldehyde fuchsin and Best{u2032}s carmine techniques. Compound tubuloalveolar glandular lobules were located in the submucosa. The gizzard had thick middle part, thin cranial and caudal sacs. Simple branched tubular glands opened in gizzard pits. The gizzard glands lined by two type of cells; chief cell and basal cell. While ultrastructural analysis of the cranial sac revealed three types of cells; mucous cells, chief cells and enteroendocrine cells

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