Disintegration of spermatozoa in the infundibular sperm-host glands of the fowl.

The disintegration of spermatozoa in the infundibular sperm-host glands of the fowl was investigated by electron microscopy. After the 15th day following artificial insemination, secretory granules in the epithelial cells of the sperm-host glands increase in number and size, and subsequently the contents of the granules are released into the granular lumen, so that the electron density of the lumen increases. At this stage, spermatozoa stored in the glands begin to undergo degenerative changes starting from the head. The heads become distended and chromatin of the nucleus begins to disperse as small masses, simultaneously with the destruction of the acrosome. As the dispersion of chromatin progresses, mitochondria of the middle piece become distended and irregular in shape, and then disintegrate. At the last stage, most of the organelles have disappeared, but the fibrous sheath and axial-filament complex are still identified.