Experimentally induced bovine sarcocystosis: correlation of in vitro lymphocyte function with structural changes in...

The effect of acute bovine sarcocystosis was studied by correlating in vitro lymphocyte blast transformation studies with morphologic and hematologic changes. Yearling calves inoculated with 900,000 sporocysts (large dose) had decreased responses to phytohemagglutinin and pokeweed mitogen and corresponding morphologic evidence of depletion of both T and B lymphocytes in all lymphoid organs examined during the first 4 weeks. The T-cell depletion was characterized by marked thymic atrophy. In lymph nodes denoting B-cell depletion, there were lymphoid follicular exhaustion and various degrees of follicular loss. Significant change in total circulating lymphocytes was not observed. All animals given this large dose died or were killed (in a moribund state) by 5 weeks after they were inoculated. Changes in mitogen responsiveness were not significant during the 4 weeks after yearling calves were inoculated with 90,000 sporocysts (small dose). The mitogenic effect of phytohemagglutinin was significantly greater than that of the control group during weeks 4 to 18. During this period, morphologic evidence of thymic cortical regeneration occurred. The results indicate that acute sarcocystosis is accompanied by a lymphoid abnormality which could result in immunosuppression, adding to the severity of natural infection.