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Experimental Infection of Strongyloides westeri in Parasite-Free Ponies

1974; American Society of Parasitologists; Volume: 60; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês

10.2307/3278366

1937-2345

G. J. Greer, Thomas R. Bello, G.F. Amborski,

Parasitic Infections and Diagnostics

The prepatent period of Strongyloides westeri experimental infection in ponies was 6 to 10 days in pony foals and 11 to 13 days in pony yearlings. The infection stimulated moderate inflammation in the anterior one-third of the small intestine in pony foals. Pony yearlings and Quarter Horse foals lost the infection and were resistant to reinfection. The loss of infection was associated with a neutrophilia in Quarter Horse foals and an increase in p-globulin in pony yearlings. Strongyloides westeri is a parasite of the young foal. Poynter (1970) reported that eggs may first appear in the feces of foals from 1 to 22 weeks of age but the actual prepatent period has not been determined. There is general agreement that the infection is limited, and that the host becomes resistant to reinfection (Poynter, 1970; Russell, 1948; Salisbury et al., 1940; Todd et al., 1950). This parasite is the reported cause of diarrhea (Fried et al., 1956; Salisbury et al., 1940), emaciation (Galliard, 1967), and death (Davidson, 1943). These observations on the pathogenesis of S. westeri were made on naturally infected animals. The first reported experimental infection with S. westeri (Bello et al., 1973) was accomplished by cutaneous exposure. Lyons et al. (1973) have also experimentally infected foals by administering larvae through a stomach tube or by cutaneous ex-