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The Pathogenicity of Nematodirus battus in Weaned and Unweaned Laboratory Rabbits

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 November 2009

G. J. Gallie
Affiliation:
Parasitology Department, Moredun Research Institute Gilmerton, Edinburgh, 9

Extract

The dosing of rabbits with 300 000 or 500 000 larvae of Nematodirus battus produced. pathogenic effects in some rabbits similar to nematodiriasis in lambs. The clinical symptoms observed were diarrhoea, listlessness, anorexia and weight loss. Fourth-stage larvae were responsible for the onset of diarrhoea about one week after infection but immature fifth-stage worms and adult parasites may also have been pathogenic. Several of the clinically affected rabbits died, the others usually recovered during the fourth week of infection. There was no direct relationship between the occurrence of clinical symptoms and the size of the worm populations recovered at death or slaughter.

Comparison of two groups of weaned and unweaned rabbits showed that suckled rabbits were less susceptible to the establishment of N. battus infections and possibly to the effects of parasitism.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1973

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