The Pathophysiology of Ovine Ostertagiasis: a Study of the Changes in Plasma Protein Metabolism Following Single Infections

Using 125I-albumin and 51CrCl3 plasma albumin turnover rates and plasma loss into the gastrointestinal tract were measured concurrently for 5 weeks following injection of sheep with 300,000–900,000 O. circumcincta larvae as single infections. Only in the heavier infection were inappetence and diarrhoea noted and these were of a transient nature. Between Days 5 and 9 a marked rise in plasma loss and plasma pepsinogen values were detected and these were associated with a greatly increased turnover rate of albumin. Both the plasma leak and albumin hypercatabolism showed a progressive decline between Days 14 and 22 while the plasma pepsinogen values remained elevated. Despite the significant plasma loss the serum albumin concentrations were not greatly decreased.