Haemopoietic cells in peripheral nerves of SPF chickens

Foci of haemopoiesis were found in the peripheral nerves of SPF Rhode Island Red chickens and conventionally reared Brown Leghorn chickens. They contained cells which closely resembled the development stages in the bone marrow of erythrocytes, heterophil leukocytes or thrombocytes, but did not include lymphocytes. When birds from these flocks are used to study neuropathological disease, ectopic haemopoiesis in nerves must be distinguished from pathological lesions.