B. Watzl et al., ENHANCEMENT OF RESISTANCE TO CRYPTOSPORIDIUM-PARVUM BY POOLED BOVINE COLOSTRUM DURING MURINE RETROVIRAL INFECTION, The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene, 48(4), 1993, pp. 519-523
Citations number
29
Categorie Soggetti
Public, Environmental & Occupation Heath","Tropical Medicine
The therapeutic efficacy of pooled bovine colostrum for the control of
cryptosporidiosis was investigated during murine acquired immunodefic
iency syndrome in female C57B1/6 mice. Mice were infected with LP-BM5
murine leukemia retrovirus for four months and then inoculated with Cr
yptosporidium parvum oocysts. Persistent cryptosporidiosis was establi
shed in all retrovirus immunosuppressed mice, while control mice were
refractory to infection. Parasite colonization of intestinal villi was
significantly (P < 0.05) reduced in immunosuppressed animals that rec
eived dietary supplemental pooled bovine colostrum compared with to th
ose that did not receive colostrum treatment. Similarly, shedding of o
ocysts in the feces of immunosuppressed animals that received dietary
pooled bovine colostrum was significantly (P < 0.05) reduced compared
with those that did not at 26 days post-parasite challenge. Since the
nonimmune bovine colostrum contained no anti-Cryptosporidium antibodie
s, this suggests that passively transferred antibodies alone are unlik
ely to have provided the improved resistance shown in this study.