Macro and microscopical study on the respiratory system of the adult rabbits and domestic cats.

Abstract

Our current study was performed on one type of rabbit (oryctologus cuniculus) and domestic cat (felis catus). This work was conducted using clinically healthy twenty five for each domestic cats and White New Zealand rabbits, of different sexes and weights. Different techniques were applied from drying, fixed, specimens as well as histological and histochemical studies. The description of the vascular pattern of the arterial supply and venous drainage was accurately described, these vessels were injected by different methods; gum milk latex and epoxy (E151N20). The nostrils of rabbit were slit like opening with two nasal pads while the cat nostrils were semicircular with shallow grooved philtrum. The nasal septum of rabbit was three layers while in the cat was only single layer. The nasal septum of both rabbit and cat showed high level of acidic mucins in the lining epithelium and low level of neutral mucins. In the rabbit, the nasal cavity regions were the nasal vestibule, maxilloturbinates, nasomaxillary and ethmoturbinates. The nasal conchae were; dorsal, ventral, middle and ethmoidal nasal concha in addition to the atrioturbinate. In the cat, the nasal cavity was divided into three regions; nasal vestibule, nasal cavity proper and the nasal fundus, it had four conchae; dorsal, ventral, middle and ethmoidal conchae.