A shared set of predisposing HLA-DQ genes account for the epidemiological overlap of celiac sprue and microscopic colitis. Mild to moderate mononuclear cell inflammation of the small intestine, often accompanied by partial or subtotal villous atrophy, is frequent in patients with the microscopic colitis syndrome. Although further studies will be necessary to determine if this enteropathy is induced by dietary gluten, we speculate that the small intestinal but not colonic histopathology in patients with microscopic colitis is caused by immunological gluten sensitivity.

Celiac sprue is epidemiologically associated with chronic hepatitis C infection and with autoimmune liver disease. Because hepatitis C is much more frequently encountered than autoimmune liver disease, hepatitis C appears to be the most common hepatic disease associated with the development of celiac sprue.

The major cause of fecal neutrophils in patients with chronic diarrhea is chronic inflammatory bowel disease of the colon. The latex agglutination test for fecal lactoferrin offers a highly sensitive, specific, and simple means for detection of fecal neutrophils in these patients.

Fecal fat microscopy using the Sudan stain has suffered from a relative lack of specificity, and results are "qualitative." Therefore, we developed a quantitative fecal fat microscopic method with hopes of improving diagnostic accuracy. One hundred eighty patients with chronic diarrhea collected stools for 1 to 3 days, and fecal fat output was measured by a standard chemical method, and microscopy was performed by the old qualitative and new quantitative methods. There was a highly statistically significant linear correlation between quantitative fecal fat microscopy and chemically measured fecal fat output. The quantitative microscopic method had a sensitivity of 94% and a specificity of 95%; the traditional method had a sensitivity and specificity of 76% and 99%, respectively. Fecal fat Sudan microscopy performed by a dedicated approach to counting and size measurement of fat globules can yield a quantitative result that correlates well with chemically measured fecal fat output and has a high diagnostic accuracy.

The major cause of fecal neutrophils in patients with chronic diarrhea is chronic inflammatory bowel disease of the colon. The latex agglutination test for fecal lactoferrin offers a highly sensitive, specific, and simple means for detection of fecal neutrophils in these patients.

No abstract

SummaryA New Zealand White rabbit on which larvae of Hyalomma rufipes were fed died of theileriosis due to Theileria annulata 22 days after the larvae had fed. The larvae were direct progeny of an enorged female collected from trade cattle in the veterinary control post at Ibadan. The danger attending the feeding on rabbits of first progeny of ticks collected from cattle in countries where some tick-borne diseases are endemic is highlighted. The possibility of transovarial transmission of Theileria is discussed.Rabbits are commonly used for rearing different species of ticks in many laboratories in the world. The ears of this laboratory animal possess a large surface and are endowed with abundant superficial veins through which ticks obtain their blood meal. Furthermore, the rabbit is believed to be refractory to most of the diseases transmitted by ticks to domestic animals. In this paper we report a case of transmission of Theileria annlllata to a rabbit by the larvae derived from an engorged female Hyalomma mfipes which was collected frolll trade cattle. Materials and MethodsIn the course of establishing laboratory colonies of the ticks found commonly on Nigerian livestock, engorged females of some tick species were collected from the trade cattle kept in the veterinary control post at Ibadan. An engorged female of H. rufipes collected in this way laid eggs 30 days afterwards. The larvae were fed on a New Zealand White rabbit according to the method described by Bailey (1960) with 300 larvae in each earbag (total 600 larvae). Before the larvae were applied, smears were made from the blood of the rabbit, stained with Giemsa stain and examined for the presence of blood parasites. 12 days later, 389 larvae had fed and dropped and were removed from the rabbit's ears. The nymphs which moulted from these larvae were fed on another New Zeland White rabbit and smears were made from its blood before and after the nymphs were fed. The same procedure was adopted for the rabbit on which the adults which moulted from the nymph had fed. Observations and resultsThe blood smears made from the rabbit before the larvae were fed were negative for blood parasites. However, the rabbit was observed to be in a state of depression and developed a high temperature (41°C) 20 days after the fed larvae were removed. It died 2 days later. Blood smears made immediately after death and stained with Giemsa stain showed about 20% of the rabbit's erythrocytes to be infected with the predominantly round to oval, ring-like piroplasms typical of T. annlllata. Postmorten examination was performed on the rabbit and the findings conformed to the pathological syndromes (Barnett, 1968) of infection with T.annlliata. The spleen, liver and the superficial lymph nodes were greatly enlarged and the lungs were oedematous and congested. Giemsa-stained smears from the swollen lymph nodes and the spleen showed a moderate number of schizonts. The smears made from the blood of the rabbits on which the nymphs and adults had fed were negative for blood parasites....

The efficacy of feeding larval stages of Amblyomma variegatum, Hyalomma rufipes and Boophilus decoloratus on the ears and scrotum of sheep is compared. The effect of age of larvae on the number that engorged on the animal was also investigated. A significantly greater number of larvae fed on scrotum than on ears. The greatest number of larvae engorged when they were fed on the scrotum or ear within 1-4 days of hatching. The older the larvae, the less the number that fed. The economic advantages of adopting the scrotal method for rearing larval tick stages as well as the implication under natural conditions of younger larvae feeding in large numbers are discussed.