Experimental Elaphostrongylus alces infection in goats

Five goats aged 4 months were each inoculated with approximately 300 third- stage larvae of Elaphostrongylus alces. and killed for post-mortem examinat ion after 14-150 days. No clinical signs of disease were observed during th e experiment. Pathological examination revealed that the larvae penetrated the walls of the abomasum and small intestine and migrated towards the caud al vertebral canal. However, the great majority of larvae were apparently d estroyed along the migratory route, and development to adult parasites in t he vertebral canal was not seen. During migration, the larvae caused focal inflammation and necrosis in the gastrointestinal wall, liver, mesentery an d lungs. The study suggests that the only effect of E. alces infection on g nats is the formation of focal visceral lesions during abdominal larval mig ration; it also confirms the inefectivity of E. alces for domestic ruminant s. (C) 2001 Harcourt Publishers Ltd.