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Listeriosis in Sheep

Listeriose hos sau. Sjodogg (tick-borne fever) brukt som modelt til å studera disponerande faktorar

Tick-Borne Fever used as a Model to Study Predisposing Factors

Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica volume 21, pages 533–545 (1980)Cite this article

Abstract

Three groups of 6 months old lambs, each group consisting of 5 animals, were infected experimentally with Ehrlichia phagocytophila (Ep), Listeria monocytogenes (Lm) and Ep/Lm, respectively. All the animals had a period with fever and reduced appetite after infection, and these symptoms were most pronounced in the group with the combined infection (Ep/Lm). One animal in group Lm developed listeric meninigo-encephalitis.

Lm was isolated from blood samples from both groups infected with Lm during the first week after infection, and from faecal samples during the first 2 weeks. Lm was also isolated from organs from several animals in these 2 groups at post-mortem examination.

Group Ep/Lm developed the highest reciprocal geometrical mean titres and the stromgest delayed hypersensitivity reaction against Lm.

After infection, a fall in serum iron and albumin was recorded, and the groups infected with Ep had a substantial fall in neutrophils.

The myeloid : erythroid ratio in the bone marrow tended to decrease in Group Ep/Lm after infection.

An increase in leucocyte counts and total protein content was found in the cerebrospinal fluid in the 2 groups infected with Lm, The experiment indicates that the blood changes induced by tick-borne fever viz, neutropenia and probably also impaired function of the neutrophils, may predispose for listeric septicaemia, but probably not for listeric meningo-encephalitis.

Sammendrag

Tre grupper med 6 månader gamle lam, kvar gruppe på 5 dyr, blei brukte i forsøket. Dei blei infiserte med Ehrlichia phagocytophila (Ep), Listeria monocytogenes (Lm) og Ep/Lm. Alle dyra fekk feber og nedsatt matlyst etter infeksjonen, og desse symptoma var sterkast i gruppa med kombiniert infeksjon (Ep/Lm). Eitt lam i gruppe Lm fekk listeria meningo-encephalitt.

I den fyrste veka etter infeksjon med Lm blei bakteriane isolerte frå blodprøver frå dyr i begge dei Lm infiserte gruppene, og frå faecesprøver i dei to fyrste vekene. Dessutan blei Lm isolert frå organ frå fleire dyr i desse gruppene etter avliving.

Gruppe Ep/Lm hadde dei høgaste geometriske gjennomsnittstitra og den sterkaste seinka hypersensitiviteten mot Lm.

Dyra hadde eit tydeleg fall i serum jern og albumin etter infeksjonen, og gruppe Ep hadde eit stort fall i neutrofile leukocyttar.

Tilhøvet myeloide: erythroide celler i beinimargen såg ut til å minka i gruppe Ep og auka i gruppe Ep/Lm etter infeksjonen.

Talet på leukocyttar og proteinmengda auka i cerebrospinalvæska etter infeksjon med. Lm.

Det ser ut til at dei endrinigane i blodet som sjodogg (tick-borne fever) fører til, kan disponera for listeria septikemi, men truleg ikkje for listeria meningo-encephalitt.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Veterinary Research Station for Small Ruminants, Postboks 248, Høyland, Sandnes, 4301, Norway

    Hallstein Grønstøl & John Øverås

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  1. Hallstein Grønstøl
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  2. John Øverås
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This work was supported by grants from the Norwegian Agricultural Research Council.

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Grønstøl, H., Øverås, J. Listeriosis in Sheep. Acta Vet Scand 21, 533–545 (1980). https://doi.org/10.1186/BF03546841

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Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica

ISSN: 1751-0147