Morphometric study of cauliflower collagen fibrils in dermatosparaxis of the calves

The abnormal cauliflower collagen fibrils present in the skin of dermatosparactic calves were studied by electron microscopy and computerized image analysis. The structure of the fibrils is heterogeneous and varies according to their location in the dermis. Cauliflower fibrils seems due to a defect in the lateral cohesion between the constitutive procollagen polymers. This is associated with the presence of a non-collageneous material larger than the aminopropeptide surrounding the procollagen polymers, while the volume occupied by procollagen in each fibril is comparable to that of collagen in normal fibrils.