Light and electron microscopic evaluation of thymuses from feline leukemia virus-infected kittens

Abstract

Light microscopic and electron microscopic findings in thymuses from 4-week old feline leukemia virus-infected and 4- and 9-week old noninfected kittens were evaluated and found to be morphologically similar to each other. Thymuses from 9-week old feline leukemia virusinfected kittens were markedly atrophied and individual lobules within each thymus varied in the severity of atrophy. Lobules having the least severe atrophy had a moderate thinning of the cortex and a heterogeneous thymocyte population arranged in disorganized cords. Additional morphologic changes in these thymuses included intense eosinopoiesis at the corticomedullary junction, increased prominence of vasculature, and enlarged Hassal's corpuscles. In addition to these changes lobules of thymus having the most severe atrophy had a marked cortical thymocyte depletion, lobule collapse, and increased numbers of mast cells. Degeneration of epithelial cells in most lobules was indicated by electronlucency of the cytoplasmic matrix and often greatly dilated rough endoplasmic reticulum.