Colon Histology and the Presence of <scp>CD45</scp> − <scp>MHC II</scp> − <scp>CD83</scp> + Follicular Dendritic Cell‐Like Cells in the Muscle Coat of the Chicken Colon

This study aimed to investigate the posthatching histological development of the chicken colon wall and the presence of dendritic cells (DCs) based on CD83, CD45 and MHC II expression. A total of 30 Ross 308 broiler chicks were used, with samples collected throughout the first two posthatching weeks. Crossmon's triple stain and Gordon and Sweet's silver impregnation technique were employed to determine the overall structure of the colon. CD45 and CD83 were assessed in frozen sections, while MHC II was examined in paraffin sections using the streptavidin-biotin complex method. The colon wall became fully organised histologically by the end of the second week. Importantly, to the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to demonstrate the presence of CD83+ cells localised within a restricted band of the chicken colon muscle coat from hatching. These CD83+ cells, expressing neither CD45 nor MHC II, exhibited features consistent with follicular dendritic cell-like cells within the reticular connective tissue of the muscular layer.