Comparative Micrometrical Studies on the Lungs of Pashmina, Bakerwali and Non-descript Goats of the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh

Abstract

Background: The diversity of different climatic conditions and altitudes of UTs of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh (erstwhile J and K state) has given rise to differential adaptive mechanisms that enable goats to cope effectively with a variety of stressful environmental conditions. Jammu city (with an altitude of 327m to 412 m), like the rest of north-western India, features a humid subtropical climate. Ladakh is the dry temperate region and the highest plateau in the state of Jammu and Kashmir with much of it ranging from 3,000 m (9,800 ft) to 5,000–5,500 m (16,000–18,050 ft). There has been no systemic study on the probable comparative variation in micrometry of lungs in high altitude Pashmina goats of Ladakh and migratory Bakerwali and non-descript goats of Jammu and Kashmir, which live in regions with varied altitudes. Respiratory system plays a vital role in exchange of oxygen, olfaction, phonation and thermoregulation of the body. No literature on the comparative micrometry of the lungs in these three goat populations was found and such paucity of available literature prompted this present study. Methods: The work was done in the lung samples of adult Pashmina, Bakerwali and non-descript goats (N=10 each) collected from slaughter houses of UT of Ladakh and in and around Jammu city of UT of J and K. The representative tissue samples from lungs of all the goats were preserved in 10% Neutral Buffered Formalin (NBF) solution, processed for paraffin block preparation, tissue sections of 5 mm thickness were obtained and stained with Hematoxylin and Eosin to record various micrometrical parameters. Results: Our study revealed that significantly largest alveolar diameter and thinnest inter alveolar septal thickness was recorded in Pashmina goats followed by Bakerwali and non-descript goats. This might be due to the adaptive morphological phenomenon of the Pashmina goats which are natural habitants of high altitudes of the Himalayan regions for better utilization of the oxygen in hypoxic conditions.