title: The structure of the intestine of Nematodirus battus and changes during the course of an infection in lambs.
abstract: The structure of the intestine of adult Nematodirus battus is described. It is similar to the intestine of some other trichostrongyles but with a few minor differences. Changes in the structure of the intestinal cells are described in N. battus taken from lambs during the later stages of an infection (days 20 to 32) with 60000 infected larvae. The most noticeable changes were a decrease in the amounts of glycogen and smooth endoplasmic reticulum, a reduction in the numbers of secretory-type granules and the appearance of vacuoles within the cells. Some of these vacuoles contained small crystals, and crystals, some of them large, were also found in the intestinal lumen. These changes, with the exception of the appearance of the crystals, are similar to changes described for Nippostrongylus brasiliensis affected by the immune response of the rat host, and it is concluded that the changes in N. battus could have been initiated by an immune response to this nematode in the lamb. Lambs given 2000 larvae of N. battus do not reject the nematodes in 32 days, and no changes were observed in the structure of these nematodes.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003460:Crystallization; D005260:Female; D007422:Intestines / Q000648:ultrastructure; D008297:Male; D008871:Microvilli / Q000648:ultrastructure; D009940:Organoids / Q000648:ultrastructure; D012756:Sheep; D012757:Sheep Diseases / Q000469:parasitology*; D014251:Trichostrongyloidea / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D014252:Trichostrongyloidiasis / Q000469:parasitology / Q000662:veterinary*