EXPERIMENTAL GIARDIASIS IN GOAT KIDS

The clinical, pathological and parasitological features of giardiasis resulting from experimental inoculation with 3 x 10(6) Giardia cysts w ere studied in goat kids. All experimentally inoculated goat kids give n Giardia cysts became infected. Three of the eight inoculated kids ha d decreased appetite, formless feces and become slightly depressed beg inning 7 or 8 days post inoculation, The mean duration of the appearan ce of abnormal feces was 6 days, Irregular and intermitted cysts shedd ing started after prepatent periods of 6-10 days and lasted throughout this study (10 weeks). The evidence of high infectivity and fast tran smission of Giardia were observed under standard zoohygienic condition s, The characteristics of intestinal lesions were similar to those fou nd in other hosts infected with Giardia. The most severe lesions were seen in the duodenum and proximal jejunum, and consisted of moderate v illus atrophy, villus blunting, crypt hyperplasia and inflammatory inf iltration in the lamina propria. Scanning electron microscopy revealed ultrastructural alterations in the microvillus border of enterocytes. Mucosal smears and histological sections of the gall bladder displaye d Giardia trophozoites and gall bladder epithelium hyperplasia togethe r with bile ductular proliferation in the liver tissue in two kids. (C ) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V.