The structure of the skin of the external auditory canal and the antiviral activity of the cerumen in carnivorous mammals

: The structure of the meatus acusticus externus skin was studied in the sable, mink, and European polecat with a parallel estimation of antiherpetic activity of the cerumen. Morphologically, these species differ in the degree of fat cellulose development, vascularization, and association with the lymphoid tissue. Lymphocytes are present both in the tissue and along the skin gland ducts and hair follicles up to the external surface only in the sable. The cerumen samples have antiviral activity also in the sable alone. The relationship between physiological properties of the mammalian cerumen and morphogenetic features is discussed.