bursa of Fabricius

noun

, Ornithology.

1. a lymphoid gland of the cloaca in birds, believed to function in disease resistance, and closing or disappearing as the bird ages.

Word History and Origins

Origin of bursa of Fabricius¹

After Hieronymus Fabricius ab Aquapendente (1537–1619), Italian anatomist, who discovered it

Example Sentences

He determined that cells produced in an organ found in birds—called the bursa of Fabricius—were responsible for antibody production, and that their development was distinct from that of T cells.

From Scientific American

He determined that cells produced in an organ found in birds — called the bursa of Fabricius — were responsible for antibody production, and that their development was distinct from that of T-cells.

From Nature

It recounted an 'accidental' finding about the bursa of Fabricius, an organ unique to birds that at the time was thought to have a hormonal role in growth and development.

From Nature

The other type of lymphocyte, the B-cell, undergoes differentiation, in chickens, at least, in an organ called the bursa of Fabricius.

From Time Magazine Archive