Ls. Mansfield et Hr. Gamble, ALVEOLAR MASTOCYTOSIS AND EOSINOPHILIA IN LAMBS WITH NATURALLY ACQUIRED NEMATODE INFECTIONS OF PROTOSTRONGYLUS-RUFESCENS AND HAEMONCHUS-CONTORTUS, Veterinary immunology and immunopathology, 49(3), 1995, pp. 251-262
Specific-pathogen-free Dorset and St. Croix lambs were placed on pastu
re contaminated with Haemonchus contortus third stage larvae and slugs
carrying third stage larvae of Protostrongylus rufescens for an entir
e grazing season to evaluate breed differences in acquired resistance
to these nematodes. Lambs were evaluated for clinical signs, clinical
pathology and histopathologic lesions associated with these infections
. Both breeds acquired natural infections with H. contortus and lungwo
rm when allowed to graze contaminated pastures for 5 months during the
summer and fall in central Maryland. Dorset sheep maintained heavy ab
omasal worm burdens of H. contortus throughout the grazing period when
compared to St. Croix breed sheep. Seven of 12 Dorset sheep and three
of 12 St. Croix sheep on pasture acquired heavy lungworm infections a
fter at least 15 weeks of exposure, as evidenced by shedding of first
stage larvae in feces and numerous subpleural lung lesions containing
adult P. rufescens found at necropsy. All lungworm infected animals ha
d mild respiratory and gastrointestinal signs, and two of five Dorset
sheep with both infections had chronic anemia. All lungworm and H. con
tortus infected Dorset sheep had decreased numbers of circulating whit
e blood eels. There was mastocytosis in the lungs of lungworm infected
Dorset and St. Croix sheep when compared to age- and breed-matched co
ntrol sheep prevented from acquiring both lungworm and trichostrongyle
infections. No difference was noted in the number of mast cells in th
e abomasum, duodenum and skin of infected and non-infected Dorset shee
p. A morphologic range of mast cell forms was observed in the lungs of
infected sheep including transitional cells and globular leukocytes.
The number of eosinophils was significantly greater in the lungs but n
ot in the abomasum of infected sheep. Despite the pronounced cellular
infiltrates surrounding the adult lungworms, they were viable on recov
ery and appeared undamaged when examined histologically.