Ultrastructure of the carotid body of the goat.

The carotid body of the goat was found to be a small oval or rounded parenchymatous organ. It was characterized by its profound vascularity. Delicate septa divided the parenchyma into small feebly defined lobules. Electron microscopy revealed that the parenchyma comprised type I cells, type II cells, nerve endings, axons and fenestrated dilated capillaries. Type I cells were characterized with electron dense-cored vesicles. They showed variations in size and concentration of the dense-cored vesicles and number of mitochondria. The possibility that these variations are reflections of different stages of activity is discussed. Type II cells were less numerous than type I cells, relatively small and devoid of dense-cored vesicles. They usually surrounded small groups of type I cells and associated nerve endings and axons. Presumptive afferent nerve endings characterized with many clear vesicles, occasional large granular vesicles and varying numbers of slender mitochondria, lay apposed to type I cells. Nerve endings of this kind showed afferent and efferent synaptic junctions with type I cells. Presumptive sympathetic efferent endings were occasionally seen within the lobules but never lay apposed to type I cells or afferent nerve ending.