Experimental trichinellosis in reindeer

Six female reindeer calves were inoculated intraruminally with various dose s of Trichinella muscle larvae. Four calves were inoculated with T. nativa, receiving 15,000 (n = 1), 5,000 (1), and 2,500 (2) larvae each. Two calves were inoculated with 5,000 T. spiralis larvae each. Blood samples were col lected twice per week for total white blood cell (WBC) and differential cou nts and for serology using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) based on T, spiralis excretory-secretory antigen. On day 56, the calves were slau ghtered and muscle samples were examined according to the standard digestio n method for Trichinella larvae. Blood samples were also collected twice a week from 4 uninoculated, but otherwise similar, reindeer calves corralled separately. Both the total WBC and eosinophil counts of the inoculated anim als were, on average, higher during the experimental period. All the inocul ated calves seroconverted, showing an increase in the optical density (OD) in the ELISA starting between day 23 and day 27 postinoculation. Very few m uscle larvae (<0.08 larvae/g [lpg]) were to be found from the animals inocu lated with T. nativa, but about 4 and 6 lpg were recovered from the massete r muscles of those inoculated with T. spiralis.