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Experimental Encephalitozoonosis in the Blue Fox

Eksperimentell encephalitozoonose hos blårev — Kliniske, serologiske og patologiske undersøkelser av tisper etter oral og intrauterin pod-ning

Clinical, Serological and Pathological Examinations of Vixens after Oral and Intrauterine Inoculation

Abstract

Inoculations of vixens with Encephalitozoon cuniculi (E. cuniculi), performed orally, either before or in the gestation period, or directly into the uterus at oestrus, induced clinical encephalitozoonosis in the offspring. The infection of the vixens, indicated by a general E. cuniculi antibody response, appeared to run a subclinical course. Endometritis was detected in some of the vixens when examined at the end of the trial. A temporary increase of total protein, albumin and globulin in the inoculated vixens compared to the controls was detected in the final 2 weeks of the gestation, concomitantly with the rise in humoral E. cuniculi antibody titres. The antibody levels appeared significantly higher in the group of vixens inoculated directly into the uterus than in the orally inoculated groups. Vixens exposed to the parasite seemed to possess a certain degree of acquired resistance to re-infection with the parasite when exposed in the following breeding season.

Sammendrag

Podning av blårevtisper med Encephalitozoon cuniculi (E. cuni-culi) enten oralt før eller under drektigheten eller direkte i uterus i forbindelse med brunsten, fremkalte klinisk encephalitozoonose hos avkommet. Tispene svarte på podningen med danneise av humorale Ε. cuniculi-antistoffer, men infeksjonen syntes å ha et sub klinisk for-1øp. I tispene som ble pelset, ble det i endometriet påvist fortykket lamina propria med infiltrasjon vesentlig av mononukleære betennel-sesceller, inkludert en del plasmaceller. Et forbigående forhøyet inn-hold av totalprotein, albumin og globulin i de pódete tispene i forhold til kontrollene ble påvist i de 2 siste uker av drektighetsperioden. Denne tilstanden ble registrert samtidig med en økning i påvisbare sirkulerende E. cuniculi-antistoffer. Gruppen av intrauterint pódete tisper utviklet signifikant større mengder antistoffer enn de oralt podete tispene. Tisper tidligere smittet med Ε. cuniculi så ut til å ha en viss forøket resistens mot reinfeksjon med parasitten.

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Mohn, S.F., Nordstoga, K. & Dishington, I.W. Experimental Encephalitozoonosis in the Blue Fox. Acta Vet Scand 23, 490–502 (1982). https://doi.org/10.1186/BF03546768

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