ovalbumin and Haemonchiasis

Several parameters of immune competence were measured in lambs with genetic resistance to Haemonchus contortus and in lambs with average susceptibility to H contortus (random-bred). Increase in skinfold thickness following intradermal injection was greater in resistant lambs for concanavalin A and to a lesser extent for phytohaemagglutinin. Both mitogens induced infiltration of superficial and deep dermis by eosinophils, CD4+, CD8+ and T19+ lymphocytes, though the responses did not differ between groups. Primary but not secondary antibody responses to the T cell-dependent antigen, ovalbumin was greater in resistant lambs. In contrast, antibody responses to the T cell-independent antigen, Brucella abortus lipopolysaccharide, did not differ between groups. Taken together the data suggest that enhanced T lymphocyte function may contribute to the greater resistance to H contortus of genetically resistant lambs.

Topics: Animals; Antibody Formation; Brucella abortus; Genotype; Haemonchiasis; Haemonchus; Immunity, Innate; Lipopolysaccharides; Lymphocyte Activation; Ovalbumin; Parasite Egg Count; Sheep; Sheep Diseases; Skin Tests; T-Lymphocytes

Lambs were inoculated during either fetal or early neonatal life with antigens of Haemonchus contortus (HcAg) third-stage larvae, or ovalbumin (OVA), or were left untreated. By the time lambs were 4 weeks old, blood lymphocytes from all of them responded to HcAg. This was evident in all lambs, regardless of the previous inoculation regimen, although higher response was seen in HcAg-inoculated lambs, compared with naive lambs. Only lambs inoculated with OVA had OVA-specific lymphocyte activity. In HcAg-naive lambs, the maximal HcAg lymphocyte response was observed between the ages of 5 and 25 weeks, with gradual decrease thereafter. In vitro detection of HcAg-reactive lymphocytes was affected by antigen concentration and presence of plasma. Plasma inhibited HcAg-reactive lymphocytes from all lambs at high in vitro antigen concentration and completely abrogated the response in H contortus antigen-naive lambs.

Topics: Animals; Antigens, Helminth; Dose-Response Relationship, Immunologic; Haemonchiasis; Haemonchus; Immunity, Cellular; Longitudinal Studies; Lymphocyte Activation; Lymphocytes; Ovalbumin; Sheep; Sheep Diseases

Lambs weaned at eight weeks old were compared with control lambs which remained with their dams; both groups grazed the same pasture. Weaning significantly reduced the growth rate, control lambs being, on average, 6 kg heavier than weaned lambs at 15 weeks old. When contamination of pasture with larval parasites was light, both groups of lambs suffered only modest parasitic infections. When lambs were experimentally infected with 5000 Haemonchus contortus and 10,000 Trichostrongylus colubriformis larvae at eight weeks old, the mean faecal egg count for weaned lambs was twice that for controls at 12 weeks old (P less than 0.001) and weaned lambs suffered a significantly greater decline in packed cell volume than controls over the next four weeks. Antibody responses following immunisation with either ovalbumin or Brucella abortus at four and at eight weeks old, did not differ significantly between control and weaned lambs. In contrast serum antibody responses to H contortus and T colubriformis differed significantly between the two groups, with controls responding earlier and more strongly than weaned lambs. The practical significance of these findings is that up to three months old, suckled lambs, when faced with a substantial parasite challenge, have much better prospects than weaned lambs.

Topics: Animals; Antibodies, Helminth; Antibody Formation; Body Weight; Brucella abortus; Feces; Haemonchiasis; Haemonchus; Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic; Ovalbumin; Parasite Egg Count; Sheep; Sheep Diseases; Trichostrongylosis; Trichostrongylus; Weaning

Sheep in five age groups (two weeks, 10 weeks, 18 weeks, six months and four years old) were immunised systemically, twice, with ovalbumin or Brucella abortus (live or killed) and antibody responses in blood were measured. The animals were also infected with the nematode parasites Trichostrongylus colubriformis and Haemonchus contortus and faecal egg counts and serum antibody responses to larval antigens were measured. The experiments were designed so that, as far as possible, the effect of age per se could be dissociated from the combined effects of age and prior exposure to antigen. The effects of the age of sheep were more marked for antibody responses to Brucella abortus lipopolysaccharide than to ovalbumin. Older animals had much greater resistance to infection with internal parasites, as shown by the magnitude of the faecal egg count. In contrast to older lambs, neonatal lambs (infected with H contortus at two weeks old) had consistently declining concentrations of anti-H contortus antibody in their serum, mounted no detectable autogenous anti-H contortus antibody response in blood and appeared to develop no resistance to the parasite. Post natal ontogeny of immune responses was different for the various antigens/pathogens.

Topics: Aging; Animals; Antibodies, Bacterial; Antibodies, Helminth; Antibody Formation; Brucella abortus; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Feces; Haemonchiasis; Haemonchus; Male; Ovalbumin; Parasite Egg Count; Sheep; Sheep Diseases; Trichostrongylosis; Trichostrongylus