CLINICO-PATHOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF EXPERIMENTAL ASCARIS SUUM INFECTION IN YANKASA LAMBS
CLINICO-PATHOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF EXPERIMENTAL ASCARIS SUUM INFECTION IN YANKASA LAMBS
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Date
2016-03
Authors
ISAH, IBRAHIM
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Abstract
The effects of Ascaris suum infection in Yankasa lambs were investigated. Twenty four
Yankasa lambs aged 6-8 months were purchased and randomly allocated into two groups (G1
and G2). The lambs in G1, consisting of 16 animals, were orally infected with 1500 infective
A. suum eggs daily for seven days while G2, consisting of 8 animals served as the uninfected
control. All the experimental animals were closely monitored for 10 weeks, during which
faecal samples were collected and analysed; haematological and biochemical parameters
were evaluated. A total of seven animals (six from the infected and one from the control
group) were sacrificed on days 7, 14, 28 and 56 post-infection (p.i) for larval/worm recovery,
pathological and histopathological examinations. Clinical signs observed in the infected
group were cough and dyspnoea. Significant differences (P<0.05) between the mean
respiratory and pulse rates of the infected (28.03 and 83.78 beats/min) and those of the
control (23.84 and 81.08 beats/min) groups, respectively, were observed on day 14 p.i. Non-
significant (P>0.05) higher eosinophil counts were observed in the infected group than in the
control group on days 7, 28 and 35 of infection. There were significant differences in the
counts of white blood cells, neutrophils, lymphocytes and monocytes at various weeks of the
experiment between the infected group and the control. The values of aspartate
aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) in G1 increased significantly
(P<0.05) on day 14 p.i. The infected group also had a significant increase in the mean values
of creatinine and urea on day 28 p.i. The liver of the infected animals sacrificed on days 7,
14, 28 and 56 of infection showed varying degrees of diffuse whitish areas of necrosis.
Similarly, histopathology revealed different levels of mononuclear cellular infiltration in the
liver of the infected animals. In two of the infected animals, the kidneys were congested. By
comparison, the corresponding organs in the control were normal. Eight A. suum larvae were
recovered from the lung of the infected animal sacrificed on day 28 of infection. However,
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no eggs were detected in the faeces and the infection did not have any influence on body
weight changes, Packed Cell Volume (PCV), total proteins, albumins, globulins and
haemoglobin concentration. It is concluded, based on the findings of this study that Ascaris
suum is infective to Yankasa lambs but is only slightly pathogenic and may not reach
patency.
Description
A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE SCHOOL OF POSTGRADUATE STUDIES, AHMADU BELLO UNIVERSITY, ZARIA
IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AWARD OF DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE IN VETERINARY PARASITOLOGY
DEPARTMENT OF VETERINARY PARASITOLOGY AND ENTOMOLOGY AHMADU BELLO UNIVERSITY, ZARIA, NIGERIA
Keywords
CLINICO,, PATHOLOGICAL,, ASCARIS SUUM,, YANKASA,, LAMBS,