Mucous cellular responses of sheep and goats naturally infected by Oestrusovis Linne 1758 (Diptera : Oestridae)

OEstrosis is a very common myiasis of sheep and goats in meditterranean and tropical countries. Goats are suitable hosts for OEstrus ovis but the para sitic burden remain lower than in sheep. Cellular responses (mucous and ser ous mast cells, eosinophils and globules leucocytes) were measured in 30 in fected and 30 non infected sheep and in 23 infected and 24 non infected goa ts. The presence of OEstrus ovis larvae led to an important inflammatory re sponse in sheep and in goats as well. Furthermore, the intensity of the cel lular response correlated with the larval burden, specially with globules l eucocytes and eosinophils. Nevertheless, huge differences occured between s heep and goats responses even in similar larval burden range. infected shee p showed larger counts of mucous most cells than goats, the differences wer e smaller in serous mast cells and eosinophils and no difference was detect ed in globules leucocytes (intraepithelial mast cells) counts between the t wo hosts species. These results were compared with those obtained in gastro -intestinal strongyles infections.