ABNORMAL LENGTH OF RESPIRATORY CILIA IN A PIG - AN ULTRASTRUCTURAL-STUDY

The authors report the first case of abnormal length of respiratory ci lia in a domestic animal (18 mu m versus normal length about 5 mu m). These cilia lie on the carpet of cilia of normal length. The width of some of these cilia is also abnormal, measuring 0.5-0.6 mu m. Other ci lia have hook-shaped tips that could be responsible for an effective b eat. We suggest that the ineffective ciliary beat could also be due to the undulating movements of abnormally long cilia, and stress the nee d for further morphological and biochemical studies of respiratory cil ia in pigs. Respiratory pathology is a very common finding in pigs and is responsible for remarkable economical losses.