title: Is there a relationship between haemoglobin genotype and the innate resistance to experimental Haemonchus contortus infection in Merino lambs?
abstract: Responses to a single or repeated infection with 7000 infective larvae of Haemonchus contortus were studied in an experiment using a total of 106 3-month-old lambs with AA, AB or BB haemoglobin (Hb) genotypes. Results were assessed by faecal egg counts, adult worm counts, haematocrit values, haemoglobin concentrations, total serum protein and serum antibody IgG1 and IgA ELISA titres. None of these parameters showed a strong relationship to the Hb type. The prevalence of low responder (greater than 500 worms) and of high responder (less than 50 worms) animals in groups AA, AB and BB Hb types was 3.8 and 34.6, 20.6 and 35.2, 28.1 and 43.7%, respectively, suggesting that the responsiveness to nematode infection is under the control of gene(s) not closely linked with those determining the Hb genotype. Worm counts of a primary infection are more subject to variation than those of a secondary infection. There is a strong relationship between adult worm counts and faecal egg counts taken close to the time of slaughter. In living animals low and high responder discrimination can be based on individual faecal egg counts around 50 days after a secondary infection. Haematocrit values proved to be of little value in the low and high responder selection. In this regard neither Hb concentration nor total serum protein values are of practical significance. In 3-month-old lambs primary infection induced partial immunity which could prevent the establishment of a part of the secondary infection, irrespective of the presence or absence of the primary worm population. The development of immunity was not associated with an increase of serum IgG1 and IgA antibody levels. Specific antibody production was not influenced by Hb types. Mean antibody levels of low responder lambs showed no difference from those of high responders. Thus, serum IgG1 and IgA levels are of no predictive value in identifying lambs which are genetically resistant to Haemonchus infection.
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology and Zoology, University of Veterinary Science, Budapest, Hungary.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kassai
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Fésüs
authors.forename: W M
authors.initials: WM
authors.lastname: Hendrikx
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Takáts
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Fok
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Redl
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Takács
authors.forename: P R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Nilsson
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: van Leeuwen
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jansen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004198:Disease Susceptibility / Q000662:veterinary; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay / Q000662:veterinary; D005243:Feces / Q000469:parasitology; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D006188:Haemonchiasis / Q000469:parasitology / Q000662:veterinary*; D006189:Haemonchus / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006454:Hemoglobins / Q000235:genetics*; D008297:Male; D010270:Parasite Egg Count / Q000662:veterinary; D010274:Parasitology / Q000379:methods; D012756:Sheep; D012757:Sheep Diseases / Q000097:blood* / Q000469:parasitology
chemical_list: D006454:Hemoglobins