Scanning electron microscopic view of auditory tonsil in turkey

The auditory tonsil of die turkey was studied by scanning electron microsco py. It is a sizable mass of lymphatic tissue dorsal to the infundibular ope ning in the auditory tube. The infundibular opening is in the roof of the t urkey's mouth, cauda to the nasal cleft, and is the external orifice of the auditory tube that connects with the air spaces of the pneumonic bones in the head. Folds of the auditory tonsil that project toward or into the infu ndibular opening contained numerous lymphatic nodules in their lamina propr ia. The epithelial surface of the folds was covered with ciliated and nonci liated columnar cells, goblet cells with microvilli, and ductal openings of mucous glands located in the area. The lymphoid nodules were either oval o r round and consisted of a chick reticular network that contained lymphocyt es, fibroblasts, and erythrocytes. From some of the lymphatic nodules, ther e were sinusoids that contained lymphocytes and extended to the epithelial surface, whereas from others there was a lymphocytic infiltration of the su rrounding lamina propria.