Histologial studies on the tonsil of soft palate in goats

Histological studies were conducted on the tonsil of soft palate in six month-old male crossbred goats. The tonsil was located on the nasopharyngeal side of the soft palate. The tonsillar surface epithelium presented small folds and was lined by pseudostratified ciliated columnar epithelium in the rostral half and stratified squamous epithelium in the caudal part. The epithelium mounting over the lymphoid accumulation or follicle associated epithelium was modified into a lympho-epithelium and was disrupted and heavily infiltrated by lymphocytes. Distinct crypts were not seen. In the lamina propria, lymphoid tissue constituted only a small portion of the tonsil and only two to three nodules were seen per low power microscopic field. Most of the lymphoid nodules had germinal centers. The average diameter of the nodules was 131.97±8.03 µm. Loose irregular connective tissue, lymphoid tissue and glands comprised the propria submucosa. The tonsil of soft palate was not encapsulated.