STUDIES ON THE HAIR FOLLICIES AND APOCRINE TUBULAR GLANDS IN THE SKIN OF THE ONE-HUMPED CAMEL

Document Type : Research article

Authors

Abstract

Twenty regions representing the covering skin of 7 adult camels of both sexes were examined for the distribution, number and histological peculiarities of the hair follicles and the tubular glands. The hair follicles of the skin of the camel are arranged in well defined hair groups. The number of the hair follicles in each group is subjected to regional vari ations. The lowest number of these follicles was present in the skin of the front, medial aspect of the thigh and the ventral aspect of the tail. However, the highest number was observed in the skin samples obtained from the hump, back and the flank regions.
The end-pieces of the tubular glands were highly coild in the skin of the medial aspect of the thigh and leg and less coild in the other studied regions. The excretory ducts were peculiarly composed of a narrow long cylindrical and a saceula ted portion which opens into the hair follicle near the surface of the skin.
Histochemical investigations were also carried out to demons trate the neutral lipid and mucopolysaccharide content as well as the alkaline and acid phosphatase activites with both
the hair follicles and its accompanied glands.