The quantitative and qualitative evaluations of cells present on milk are important for understanding many events, physiologic or not, of the mammary gland. Despite that, citations in the literature are conflicting concerning healthy buffaloes. This study evaluated milk cellularity in 108 samples of healthy buffaloes mammary glands. They were analyzed by somatic cell count, automatic and microscopic, and the cellular types in slides of milk smear and also after cytocentrifugation of cellular suspension (differential citology evaluation). Results of milk somatic cells count, by microscopic and automatic techniques, were similar but cellular predominance (from Prescott - Breed or cytocentrifugation) differed in relative values. More mononuclear cells were found in slides of cytocentrifugation of cellular suspension smears and more leucocytes on direct microscopic count technique. The cytocentrifugation smears showed a better evaluation of cellular morphology, identifying 61.1% of monocytes and macrophages, 32.9% of neutrophils, 5.3% of lymphocytes and 0.7% of eosinophils. Mononuclear phagocytes showed a high plasticity on structure with many morphological patterns.
buffaloes; milk; leukocytes; somatic cells
