Intraepithelial lymphocytes in the excurrent ducts of the testis of the domestic fowl (Gallus domesticus).

Cells considered to be lymphocytes are reported in the epithelial lining of the excurrent ducts of the testis of normal and vasoligated domestic fowl. They resemble those already reported in the rat and monkey epididymal epithelium, the human intestinal mucosa, and in the bursa of Fabricius. The cytoplasm is usually less dense than that of adjacent epithelial cells, and contains only a few organelles. The nucleus is highly heterochromatic and with no definite nucleolus. Cytoplasmic processes are found to extend from the cell in between epithelial cells. The possible role of these cells in the reproductive tract of the cockerel is discussed.