Distribution of chorionic villi in the foetal component of placenta in camel (Cameleus dromedarius)

The placenta plays an important role in the exchange of metabolites from the foetal side. Studies concerning the dromedary foetal membranes have been compiled by Morton (1961), Moniem (1968), Musa (1977), Skidmore, Wooding, and Allen, (1996) and Salman (2001). It should be noted that the morphological studies of the dromedary foetal membranes carried out so far were concentrated mainly on gross anatomy and histology, with rather scanty information about their ultrastructure and histochemistry. In Sudan, Salman (2001) has studied the dromedary placenta in detail. However, very little work has been performed on the other foetal membranes. It appears from the literature cited that there is a need for further and detailed histological and histochemical studies on the foetal membranes of the dromedary camel. It is hoped, therefore, that the present investigation will be a contribution to a better knowledge of the structure and function of the various components of the camel foetal membranes and placenta.