Furstenberg's rosette

{{short description|Structure in the teat of cattle, sheep and other ruminants}}

The Furstenberg's rosette is a structure in the teat of cattle, sheep and other ruminants, located at the internal end of the teat canal (also known as the streak canal or teat duct) at the junction with the teat cistern.{{cite encyclopedia|author=S. C. Nickerson |title=Mammary resistance mechanisms |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of Dairy Sciences |pages=381–85 |edition=2nd|editor=John W. Fuquay|publisher=Elsevier|year=2011|isbn=978-0-12-374407-4}}{{cite web |url=https://www.uky.edu/Ag/AnimalSciences/instruction/asc564/Lecture3-Anatomy.pdf|title=Mammary gland anatomy|publisher=University of Kentucky|access-date=8 October 2023}}{{cite journal |author=E. Kiossis |author2=C. N. Brozos |author3=N. Papaioannou |author4=N. Tzanidakis |author5=C. Boscos |title=Endoscopic and histopathological findings of teats in dairy ewes |journal=Small Ruminant Research |volume=87 |year=2009 |pages=70–75 |doi=10.1016/j.smallrumres.2009.10.009}} It often is considered a barrier for pathogens,{{cite web|url=https://extension.psu.edu/preventing-mastitis-is-not-rocket-science |author=Adrian A. Barragan|title=Preventing Mastitis is Not Rocket Science|publisher=College of Agricultural Sciences, Pennsylvania State University|access-date=8 October 2023}} yet it offers little resistance to milk leaving the teat.{{cn|date=October 2023}}

The rosette consists of 6–10 connective tissue folds covered with an epithelium which is two cells thick.

It has a leukocyte population, mainly consisting of plasma cells and lymphocytes; leukocytes are thought to leave the teat wall and enter the cistern via Furstenberg's rosette.{{cn|date=October 2023}} It contains bactericidal cationic proteins (e.g. ubiquitin); some researchers consider these might be secreted by the rosette tissue.{{cite book|author=R. Michael Akers|title=Lactation and the Mammary Gland|publisher=Wiley|year=2016|pages=109–11|isbn=978-1-119-27967-9}}