ULTRASTRUCTURE OF BUFFALO, SYNCERUS CAFFER, PLATELETS - COMPARISON WITH BOVINE AND HUMAN PLATELETS

Platelets are found in the blood of all mammals and serve the same bas ic hemostatic functions in all. Species differences in the morphology and activities of platelets in human and domesticated animals have bee n observed, but there is little published information regarding the bl ood pictures of wild animals. In this study, the ultrastructure of buf falo platelets was compared with that of bovine and human platelets. B uffalo platelets were found to be smaller than human platelets and int racellularly had larger a-granules, possessed distinctive dense granul es and a more distinct microtubuli system, but they lacked the open ca nalicular system observed in the human type. This morphology is simila r to that of cattle platelets. (C) 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.