Changes in the intestinal enzyme activity of lambs during chronic infection with Trichostrongylus vitrinus

The pathology and enzymology of the intestinal mucosae of lambs dosed daily with 2500 Trichostrongylus vitrinus larvae and killed at five, nine or 14 weeks were compared with worm-free animals. The proximal small intestines of the infected lambs exhibited extensive mucosal damage at five and nine weeks, but only isolated lesions were found at 14 weeks. Activities of the brush border enzymes alkaline phosphatase, leucine amino-peptidase, maltase and glycyl-L-leucine dipeptidase were all significantly depleted during infection, although the magnitude, time of onset and duration of the individual enzyme responses varied. Mucosal activities of the pancreatic enzymes, trypsin and to a lesser extent chymotrypsin were also markedly decreased particularly during the first nine weeks of infection. Specific acetylcholinesterase activity was significantly increased throughout the study, maximal levels being observed at five weeks. In contrast 'pseudo'-cholinesterase levels were consistently within the control range. During the early stages of infection (five weeks) glutamine-oxaloacetate transaminase activity was significantly decreased, while aldolase and creatine phosphokinase levels were significantly elevated. At nine weeks low glutamine-oxaloacetate transaminase activities were again detected and lactate dehydrogenase activity was also markedly reduced. At 14 weeks the mean activities of all four enzymes were within the normal range as were superoxide dismutase levels throughout. Significant correlations were found between alkaline phosphatase, trypsin, chymotrypsin, aldolase and glutamine-oxaloacetate transaminase activities and the degree of mucosal damage within the individual lambs.