This study examined the development of resistance to anthelmintics in Haemonchus contortus in lambs under suppressive or selective treatment regimens that included monepantel. Twenty Ile de France and 20 Santa Ines lambs were allocated to two anthelmintic treatment regimens, based on body weight and nematode faecal egg counts (FEC): targeted selective treatment (TST) or suppressive treatment, both with monepantel. Lambs of the TST group were treated individually when they presented with a packed cell volume (PCV) ≤20%. On 7 October 2016, the lambs were allocated to clean pastures, where they grazed in separated paddocks by group until late February 2017. The experimental area was contaminated with nematodes that were introduced with the experimental Ile de France and Santa Ines lambs, naturally infected with gastrointestinal nematodes. To maintain the grazing lambs in the suppressive treatment group and their pasture as free of worms as possible, these lambs were treated with anthelmintics before being allocated to their paddock and then were periodically treated with monepantel. However, the use of a suppressive treatment regimen that included monepantel over a period of 3 months resulted in the emergence of a population of resistant H. contortus. In the TST group, there was a rapid and progressive reduction in the efficacy of monepantel, which at the end of the experiment was only 76%. The Ile de France lambs were all treated one or more times during the experiment, whereas only two Santa Ines lambs in the TST required treatment. In conclusion, a population of H. contortus resistant to monepantel emerged quickly during the rainy season, even when sheep were submitted to selective treatment.
This study was carried out to evaluate the immune response in young Ile de France (IF) and Santa Ines (SI) sheep naturally infected by Oestrus ovis and gastrointestinal nematodes (GIN). Mast cells, eosinophils and globule leucocytes were enumerated in the upper respiratory tract (septum, middle meatus and ventral nasal conchae) and in the mucosa of abomasum and small intestine. Immunoglobulin G (IgG) levels in serum samples and immunoglobulin A (IgA) levels in mucus from the nasal, abomasum and small intestinal mucosae were determined against O. ovis, Haemonchus contortus and Trichostrongylus colubriformis antigens. Significant positive correlation coefficients were observed in both breeds between the number of O. ovis larvae×IgG against Oestrus crude extract (IF: r=0.58; SI: r=0.66; P<0.05), and between O. ovis larvae x IgG against Oestrus excretory and secretory products (IF: r=0.59; SI: r=0.63; P<0.05). Apparently, the presence of antibodies in the serum or nasal mucus, as well as inflammatory cells, was not able to efficiently protect against O. ovis infestation. With regard to GIN, the levels of immunoglobulins and the inflammatory cell numbers in the gastrointestinal mucosa presented a significant inverse relationship with H. contortus worm burden in SI animals and this may have contributed to the fact that these animals presented the lowest FEC and worm burden compared to IF. In conclusion, the immune responses against O. ovis and GIN are very similar and involve the recruitment of inflammatory cells and production of immunoglobulins against the parasites.
Understanding the immunological basis of resistance to gastrointestinal nematode infections in livestock is important in order to develop novel methods of parasite control such as vaccination or genetic selection for parasite resistance. The present study aimed to investigate differences in immune response between parasite resistant Santa Ines and susceptible Ile de France sheep breeds to natural Haemonchus contortus infection. Parasitological parameters, humoral immunity, local and circulating cellular immune responses were evaluated in 19 Santa Ines and 19 Ile de France lambs undergoing different anthelmintic treatments regimens: suppressive treatments (SUP) or targeted selective treatments (TST) over a 5-month grazing period. Santa Ines lambs had significantly lower Haemonchus faecal egg count and worm burden compared to Ile de France regardless of treatment regime. In addition, circulating blood eosinophils count and parasite-specific IgG levels were significantly higher and more rapidly induced in Santa Ines lambs. Abomasal immune responses were generally greater in the resistant breed, which had significantly higher levels of parasite-specific IgA in mucus, and elevated number of globule leukocytes and CD3+ T cells within the abomasal mucosal. Furthermore, numbers of POU2F3+ epithelial cells, a tuft-cell specific transcription factor, were also elevated in the Santa Ines breed, suggesting that this breed is better able to initiate T-helper type 2 immune responses within the abomasum. In conclusion, the differential immunological responses detailed here are relevant to understanding resistance to gastrointestinal nematodes in other host breeds, as well as to resistance breeding as a sustainable control approach for parasitic infections.
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