Haematological changes caused by Trichostrongylus colubriformis in lambs fed a dystrophogenic diet

The effect of Trichostrongylus colubriformis on lambs maintained on a ration containing a low level of selenium and on animals receiving vitamin E and Se supplementation was investigated. The pathological changes seen in control animals slaughtered at the start of the experiment and in the animals which died during the course of the investigation revealed a high level of nutritional muscular dystrophy (NMD) in the lambs. There were no marked haematological changes in the control or infested sheep. Infestation was characterized by slight hypoalbuminaemia and gamma-globulinaemia. Serum levels of the enzymes AAT and CPK, which are important indicators of muscle necrosis and NMD, were greatly increased in sheep infested with T. colubriformis and not receiving supplementary Vit. E + Se. Data from this study therefore indicates that trichostrongylosis may aggravate the degree of muscle necrosis in lambs prone to the development of NMD.