Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-wg55d Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-05-30T08:12:06.285Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The effect of haemonchosis and blood loss into the abomasum on digestion in sheep

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 March 2007

J. B. Rowe ,
J. V. Nolan ,
G. de Chaneet ,
E. Teleni  and
P. H. Holmes
J. B. Rowe
Affiliation:
Division of Animal Production, Department of Agriculture, Baron-Hay Court, South Perth, Western Australia 6151, Australia
J. V. Nolan
Affiliation:
Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Nutrition, University of New England, Armidale, NSW 2351, Australia
G. de Chaneet
Affiliation:
Division of Animal Production, Department of Agriculture, Baron-Hay Court, South Perth, Western Australia 6151, Australia
E. Teleni
Affiliation:
Division of Animal Production, Department of Agriculture, Baron-Hay Court, South Perth, Western Australia 6151, Australia
P. H. Holmes
Affiliation:
Department of Veterinary Physiology, University of Glasgow Veterinary School, Bearsden Road, Glasgow
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

1. An experiment was conducted to determine the effect of the abomasal parasite, Haemonchus contortus, on the pattern of digestion and nutrient utilization in Merino sheep. There were three groups of sheep: infected with H. contortus (300 larvae/kg live weight) (n 5), sham-infected by transferring blood from the jugular vein to the abomasum, and uninfected (control) sheep (n 9) which were fed daily rations equal to amounts consumed by ‘paired’ animals in the two other treatment groups. A diet containing (g/kg): lucerne (Medicago sativa) chaff 490, oat chaff 480, ground limestone 10, urea 10, and sodium chloride 10, was given in equal amounts at 3-h intervals.

2. Continuous intrarumen infusions (8 d) of chromium and ytterbium were made in order to measure the flow of digesta through the rumen, duodenum and ileum with 15NH4Cl included in the infusate for the final 3 d. The loss of blood into the gastrointestinal tract was measured using 51Cr-labelled erythrocytes and the rate of irreversible loss of plasma urea was measured with reference to a single intravenous injection of [14C]urea. Samples of rumen fluid were taken for analysis of volatile fatty acid (VFA) concentrations.

3. The infected and sham-infected sheep developed severe anaemia during the period over which digestion and metabolism measurements were made (packed cell volume 0·118 (SE 0·0042) and 0.146 (SE 0·0073) respectively). The corresponding rates of blood loss into the gastrointestinal tracts were 253 (SE 23) and 145 (SE 17) ml/d.

4. The proportions of VFA in rumen fluid were altered (P < 0·05) in the infected group with a decrease in the ratio, acetate: propionate (control 3·28, infected 2·58, standard error of difference (SED)(0·21). There was also an increase in rumen fluid outflow rate (P < 0·01) from 4·05 litres/d in the control group to 5.53 litres/d in the infected group (SED) 0·43). Water intake was higher (P < 0·05) in the infected than in the control animals (2·25 and 1·84 litres/d respectively; SED 0·14).

5. There was a decrease (P < 0·05) in apparent digestion of organic matter in the forestomachs of infected sheep (0·32 compared with 0·39 in the control, SED 0·02). There was also a decrease (P < 0·05) in the apparent digestion of organic matter across the whole digestive tract (0·65 control, 0·61 infected, SED 0·013).

6. There was a loss of 2·6 and 1·8 g blood nitrogen/d into the gastrointestinal tract of the infected and sham-infected sheep respectively. In the infected sheep approximately 50 % of this N was accounted for as additional ammonia leaving the abomasum compared with 20% in the sham-infected group. The additional non-ammonia-N (NAN) entering the duodenum of parasitized or sham-infected animals was reabsorbed before the ileum. There was no effect of infection or sham-infection on the synthesis or digestion of microbial NAN.

7. There was a higher (P < 0·001) rate of plasma urea irreversible loss in the infected sheep (8·9 control, 12·2 infected, 10·9 sham-infected, SED (control v. treated) 0·87 g N/d). This was apparently due to increased absorption of ammonia and increased urea excretion and transfer to the gut.

8. The results show that in sheep infected with H. contortus there was a considerable increase in the amount of additional endogenous N entering the duodenum. Although the extra N lost into the gastrointestinal tract was reabsorbed before the digesta reached the ileum the animals suffered a net loss of amino acids since part of the reabsorbed N was in the form of ammonia and reabsorbed NAN was apparently ineffectively utilized.

Type
General Nutrition papers
Information
British Journal of Nutrition , Volume 59 , Issue 1 , January 1988 , pp. 125 - 139
Copyright
Copyright © The Nutrition Society 1988

References

Abbott, E. M., Parkins, J. J. & Holmes, P. H. (1986). Veterinary Parasitology 20, 291–306.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Albers, G.A.A., Le, Jambre L. F., Barker, J. S. F. & Piper, L. R. (1984). Proceedings of the Australian Society of Animal Production 15, 647.Google Scholar
Allonby, E. W. & Dargie, J. D. (1973). In Helminth Diseases of Cattle, Sheep and Horses in Europe, pp. 59–71. [Urquhart, G. M. and Armour, J., editors]. Glasgow University Press: Robert Maclehose & Co Ltd.Google Scholar
Altaif, K. I. & Dargie, J. D. (1978). Parasitology 77, 161–176.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Binnerts, W. T., Van't Klooster, A. Th. & Freus, A. M. (1968). Veterinary Record 82, 470.Google Scholar
Bueno, L., Dakkak, A. & Fioramonti, J. (1982). Parasitology 84, 367–374.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chalupa, W. (1980). In Digestive Physiology and Metabolism of Ruminants, pp. 325–347 [Ruckebusch, Y. and Thivend, P., editors]. Lancaster: MTP Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cocimano, M. R. & Leng, R. A. (1967). British Journal of Nutrition 21, 353–371.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dargie, J. D. (1975). In Pathogenic Processes in Parasitic Infections, pp. 1–26 [Taylor, A. E. R. and Muller, R., editors]. Oxford: Blackwell Scientific Publications.Google Scholar
Faichney, G. J. (1975). In Digestion and Metabolism in the Ruminant, pp. 277–291 [McDonald, I. W. and Warner, A. C. I., editors]. Armidale: University of New England Publishing Unit.Google Scholar
Gordon, H. McL. & Whitlock, H. V. (1939), Journal of CSIR 12, 50–52.Google Scholar
Gregory, P. C. (1985). In Veterinary Research Communication, vol. 1. The Ruminant Stomach, pp. 267–286 [Ooms, L. A. A., Degryse, A. D. and Marsboom, R., editors]. Beerse, Belgium: Jansen Research Foundation.Google Scholar
Harrison, D. G., Beever, D. E., Thomson, D. J. & Osbourn, D. F. (1975). Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge, 85, 93–101.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Holmes, P. H. (1985). Veterinary Parasitology 18, 89–101.Google Scholar
Kennedy, P. M. & Milligan, L. P. (1978). British Journal of Nutrition 39, 105–117.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Leng, R. A., Gill, M., Kempton, T. J., Rowe, J. B., Nolan, J. V., Stachiw, S. & Preston, T. R. (1981). British Journal of Nutrition 46, 371–384.Google Scholar
Marsh, W. H., Fingerhut, B. & Kirsch, E. (1957). American Journal of Clinical Pathology 28, 681.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nolan, J. V. & Leng, R. A. (1972). British Journal of Nutrition 27, 177–194.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Poppi, D. P., MacRae, J. C., Brewer, A. & Coop, R. L. (1986). British Journal of Nutrition 55, 593–602.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Roseby, F. B. & Leng, R. A. (1974). Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 25, 363–367.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rowe, J. B., Abbott, E. M., Dargie, J. D. & Holmes, P. H. (1982). Proceedings of the Nutrition Society 41, 74A.Google Scholar
Siddons, R. C., Nolan, J. V., Beever, D. E. & MacRae, J. C. (1985). British Journal of Nutrition 54, 175–187.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Steel, J. W. (1972). Proceedings of the Australian Society of Animal Production 9, 402–407.Google Scholar
Steel, J. W. (1974). Proceedings of the Australian Society of Animal Production 10, 139–147.Google Scholar
Steel, J. W. (1978). In Recent Advances in Animal Nutrition in Australia, pp. 98–109 [Farrell, D. J., editor]. Armidale: University of New England.Google Scholar
Thomas, R. J. & Ali, D. A. (1983). International Journal for Parasitology 13, 393–398.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Westra, R. & Christopherson, R. J. (1976). Canadian Journal of Animal Science 56, 699–708.CrossRefGoogle Scholar