TURK 2025

Abstract
As part of sanitary and epidemiological control, spleen tissue samples were collected from wild fauna species: badger (Meles meles), roe deer (Capreolus), fox (Vulpes vulpes), and marmot (Marmota). Sampling was conducted in compliance with current legal regulations and based on officially issued permits confirming the legality of the animals' culling. The samples underwent standard histological processing, including fixation, dehydration, paraffin embedding, sectioning, and staining. For general microscopic examination and assessment of the organ’s morphofunctional state, sections were stained with hematoxylin and eosin — universal stain allowing clear visualization of cellular and tissue structures. Microscopy was performed using a Nikon ECLIPSE 50i light microscope, ensuring high accuracy and reproducibility. Microphotographs of characteristic structures were taken and included as visual documentation. The histological architecture of the spleen in each animal was described in detail at both the cellular and tissue levels. Each sample was evaluated according to its morphological features and functional state. The results, supported by existing scientific literature, confirmed that while the spleen's general microscopic organization is conserved across wild mammals, each species shows distinct micromorphological traits. These include variations in the cellular composition of white and red pulp, the structure and activity of T- and B-cell zones, distribution of cells within the red pulp, and individual differences in the size and structure of trabeculae and the capsule. The obtained histological data may serve as reference values for evaluating the spleen’s morphofunctional state in these wild species. Additionally, the findings are valuable for diagnosing and interpreting pathological changes of infectious or inflammatory origin.