Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-fscjk Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-23T05:57:40.749Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The expression of immunity to Teladorsagia circumcincta in ewes and its relationship to protein nutrition depend on body protein reserves

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 July 2001

J. G. M. HOUDIJK ,
I. KYRIAZAKIS ,
R. L. COOP  and
F. JACKSON
J. G. M. HOUDIJK
Affiliation:
Animal Nutrition and Health Department, Animal Biology Division, Scottish Agricultural College, Kings Buildings, Edinburgh EH9 3JG, UK
I. KYRIAZAKIS
Affiliation:
Animal Nutrition and Health Department, Animal Biology Division, Scottish Agricultural College, Kings Buildings, Edinburgh EH9 3JG, UK
R. L. COOP
Affiliation:
Moredun Research Institute, Pentland Science Park, Bush Loan, Penicuik EH26 0PZ, UK
F. JACKSON
Affiliation:
Moredun Research Institute, Pentland Science Park, Bush Loan, Penicuik EH26 0PZ, UK
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

We hypothesized that expression of immunity to gastrointestinal nematodes and its relationship with dietary metabolizable protein (MP) supply in ewes depended on body protein- but not on body fat reserves. Twin-bearing ewes were trickle infected with Teladorsagia circumcincta. Three mid-pregnancy feeding treatments were used, calculated to maintain body reserves (HH), maintain body protein- and lose body fat reserves (HL), or lose body reserves (LL), and followed by 2 iso-energetic, periparturient feeding treatments, calculated to provide either scarce (LP) or adequate (HP) amounts of MP. At the end of the mid-pregnancy feeding treatment, HL- and LL-ewes had a smaller backfat depth (∼body fat reserves) than HH-ewes, and LL-ewes had a smaller muscle depth (∼ body protein reserves) and higher faecal egg counts (FEC) than HH- and HL-ewes. Overall, LL-ewes had higher periparturient FEC than HH- and HL-ewes, and LP-ewes had higher periparturient FEC than HP-ewes. However, LL-ewes offered the LP feed had higher periparturient FEC than ewes on any of the other combinations of feeding treatments. Feeding treatments affected plasma pepsinogen but not plasma IgA. The results support the view that body protein- but not body fat reserves may overcome consequences of dietary MP scarcity on periparturient breakdown of immunity to gastrointestinal nematodes.

Keywords

sheepperiparturientimmunityTeladorsagia circumcinctanutritionbody reserves
Type
Research Article
Information
Parasitology , Volume 122 , Issue 6 , June 2001 , pp. 661 - 672
Copyright
© 2001 Cambridge University Press

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

AFRC (1993). Energy and protein requirements of ruminants. An advisory manual prepared by the AFRC Technical Committee on Responses to Nutrients. CAB International, Wallingford.Google Scholar
BARGER, I. A. (1993). Influence of sex and reproductive status on susceptibility of ruminants to nematode parasitism. International Journal for Parasitology 23, 463–469.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
BEH, K. J., WATSON, D. L. & LASCELLES, A. K. (1974). Concentration of immunoglobulins and albumin in lymph collected from various regions of the body. Australian Journal of Experimental Biology and Medical Sciences 53, 81–90.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
BOWN, M. D., POPPI, D. P. & SYKES, A. R. (1991). The effect of post-ruminal infusion of a protein or energy on the pathophysiology of Trichostrongylus colubriformis infection and body composition in lambs. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 42, 253–267.Google Scholar
CHRISTIE, M. & JACKSON, F. (1982). Specific identification of strongyle eggs in small samples of sheep faeces. Research in Veterinary Science 32, 113–117.Google Scholar
CONINGTON, J., BISHOP, S. C., WATERHOUSE, A. & SIMM, G. (1998). A comparison of growth and carcass traits in Scottish Blackface lambs sired by genetically lean or fat rams. Animal Science 67, 299–309.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
COOP, R. L., HUNTLEY, J. F. & SMITH, W. D. (1995). Effect of dietary protein supplementation on the development of immunity to Ostertagia circumcincta in growing lambs. Research in Veterinary Science 59, 24–29.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
COOP, R. L. & KYRIAZAKIS, I. (1999). Nutrition-parasite interaction. Veterinary Parasitology 84, 187–204.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
DONALDSON, J., VAN HOUTERT, M. F. J. & SYKES, A. R. (1998). The effect of nutrition on the periparturient parasite status of mature ewes. Animal Science 67, 523–533.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
GIBBS, H. C. & BARGER, I. A. (1986). Haemonchus contortus and other trichostrongylid infections in parturient, lactating and dry ewes. Veterinary Parasitology 22, 57–66.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
GLASBEY, C. A., ABDALLA, I. & SIMM, G. (1996). Towards automatic interpretation of sheep ultrasound scans. Animal Science 62, 309–315.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
HEATH, G. B. S. & MICHEL, J. F. (1969). A contribution to the epidemiology of parasitic gastro-enteritis in lambs. Veterinary Record 85, 305–308.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
HOUDIJK, J. G. M., KYRIAZAKIS, I., JACKSON, F., HUNTLEY, J. F. & COOP, R. L. (2000). Can an increased metabolizable protein intake affect the periparturient relaxation in immunity against Teladorsagia circumcincta in sheep? Veterinary Parasitology 91, 43–62.Google Scholar
HOUDIJK, J. G. M., KYRIAZAKIS, I., JACKSON, F. & COOP, R. L. (2001). The relationship between protein nutrition, reproductive effort and breakdown in immunity to Teladorsagia circumcincta in periparturient ewes. Animal Science (in the Press).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
HUNTLEY, J. F., GIBSON, S., BROWN, D., SMITH, W. D., JACKSON, F. & MILLER, H. R. P. (1987). Systemic release of a mast cell proteinase following nematode infections in sheep. Parasite Immunology 9, 603–614.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
HUNTLEY, J. F., SCHALLIG, H. D. F. H., KOOYMAN, F. N. J., MACKELLAR, A., JACKSON, F. & SMITH, W. D. (1998). IgE antibody during infection with the ovine abomasal nematode, Teladorsagia circumcincta: primary and secondary responses in serum and gastric lymph of sheep. Parasite Immunology 20, 565–571.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
JESSOP, N. S. (1997). Protein metabolism during lactation. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society 6, 169–175.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
KAHN, L. P., KNOX, M. R., GRAY, G. D. & CORBETT, J. L. (1999). Enhancing immunity to nematode parasites in pregnant and lactating sheep through nutrition and genetic selection. Recent Advances in Animal Nutrition 12, 15–22.Google Scholar
LAT (1993). Genstat 5 Release 3.2. Reference Manual. Clarendon Press, Oxford.Google Scholar
LEYVA, V., HENDERSON, A. E. & SYKES, A. R. (1982). Effect of daily infection with Ostertagia circumcincta larvae on food intake, milk production and wool growth in sheep. Journal of Agricultural Science 99, 249–259.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
LITTLE, R. C., HENRY, P. R. & AMMERMAN, C. B. (1988). Statistical analysis of repeated measures data using SAS procedures. Journal of Animal Science 76, 1216–1231.Google Scholar
MACRAE, J. C. (1993). Metabolic consequences of intestinal parasitism. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society 52, 121–130.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
ROBINSON, J. J., FOSTER, W. H. & FORBES, T. J. (1969). The estimation of the milk yield of a ewe from body weight data on the suckling lamb. Journal of Agricultural Science 72, 103–107.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
ROBINSON, J. J., SINCLAIR, K. D. & MCEVOY, T. G. (1999). Nutritional effects on foetal growth. Animal Science 68, 315–331.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
RUSSEL, A. J. F., DONEY, J. M. & GUNN, R. G. (1969). Subjective assessment of body fat in live sheep. Journal of Agricultural Science 72, 451–454.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
SINSKI, E., BAIRDEN, K., DUNCAN, J. L., EISLER, M. C., HOLMES, P. H., MCKELLAR, Q. A., MURRAY, M. & STEAR, M. J. (1995). Local and plasma antibody responses to the parasitic larval stages of the abomasal nematode Ostertagia circumcincta. Veterinary Parasitology 9, 107–118.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
STAMATARIS, C., KYRIAZAKIS, I. & EMMANS, G. C. (1991). The performance and body composition of young pigs following a period of growth retardation by food restriction. Animal Production 53, 373–381.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
STEAR, M. J., BISHOP, S. C., DOLIGALSKA, M., DUNCAN, J. L., HOLMES, P. H., IRVINE, J., MCCRIRIE, L., MCKELLAR, Q. A., SINSKI, E. & MURRAY, M. (1995). Regulation of egg production, worm burden, worm length and worm fecundity by host responses in sheep infected with Ostertagia circumcincta. Parasite Immunology 17, 643–652.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
SYKES, A. R. & FIELD, A. C. (1972). Effects of dietary deficiencies of energy, protein and calcium on the pregnant ewe. I. Body composition and mineral content of the ewes. Journal of Agricultural Science 78, 109–117.Google Scholar