[Clinical and paraclinical studies in experimental nematodiriasis of lambs]

An experiment including 20 lambs aged 3.5--4 months was performed with the aim to study the clinical and paraclinical characteristics of experimental nematodirosis. The lambs were divided into 4 groups each consisting of 5 animals. Experimental invasion with N. spathiger larvae was effected once per os as follows:group I--with 5000, group II--with 10 000, group III--with 30 000 larvae, and group IV was used as control. It was established that the course of nematodirosis is typical with well expressed clinical symptoms in group III -- diarrhoea, loss of appetite, nervous symptoms, oligochromemia, erythropaenia, leucocytosis, lymphocytosis, eosinophyly, acidosis, reduced carotene and total protein. Calcium and magnesium vary within the normal range while phosphorus content is reduced. The prepatent period is within the range of the 15th to the 22nd day. The first clinical symptoms appear in most cases before the first eggs in the feaces are observed. Clinical symptoms haematological changes are correlated with the number of larvae given.