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Comparing the phenotypic susceptibility of Pelibuey and Katahdin female lambs against natural gastrointestinal nematode infections under hot humid tropical conditions

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Abstract

This study compared the phenotypic susceptibility of Pelibuey and Katahdin female lambs against gastrointestinal nematodes (GINs) under grazing conditions in the hot humid tropics of Mexico. The study was performed during the rainy season (August to October, 2014). It included 27 Pelibuey and 12 Katahdin female lambs from 6 months of age and live weight of 21.0 ± 3.7 and 23.3 ± 3.6 kg, respectively. Lambs were reared free of GIN infection before the study. The study lasted 91 days. Animals were weighed and sampled (blood and feces) on days 0 and 28 and every 7 days onwards. Fecal samples were obtained to determine fecal eggs of GIN per gram (EPG), and blood samples were used to determine the packed cell volume (PCV), the peripheral eosinophil counts (PECs), and optical densities (ODs) for IgA. The EPG counts were significantly lower for Pelibuey lambs compared to Katahdin throughout the study (P < 0.001). Similarly, Pelibuey lambs had higher mean PCV (P < 0.01) and PEC (P < 0.05) than Katahdin lambs during the study. The total weight gain and OD for IgA were similar between breeds (P > 0.05). Negative associations (P < 0.05) between EPG and PCV or PEC were moderate to strong for the lambs of both breeds. No association was found between EPG and IgA. In conclusion, Pelibuey lambs showed phenotypic evidence of higher resistance to natural GIN infections compared to Katahdin lambs sharing the same grazing conditions in the hot humid tropics. The most accurate phenotypic markers to identify a difference in susceptibility were EPG and PEC.

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Acknowledgments

We thank the workers from the Chan Hugo Ranch and the great help from the owner of the Ranch DS Hugo Monforte for their support and facilities provided during the present study. Mr. Jovanny Gaspar Palomo-Couoh received a scholarship from CONACYT (No. 248296), Mexico, to undergo his Ph.D. studies at the Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Campus de Ciencias Biológicas y Agropecuarias, Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán, Km 15.5, Carretera Mérida-Xmatkuil, Postbox 4-116, 97100, Mérida, Yucatán, Mexico

    J. G. Palomo-Couoh, A. J. Aguilar-Caballero & J. F. J. Torres-Acosta

  2. Unidad Regional Universitaria Sursureste, Universidad Autónoma Chapingo, Km 7, Carretera Teapa-Vicente Guerrero, San José Puyacatengo, Teapa, Tabasco, Mexico

    R. González-Garduño

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  1. J. G. Palomo-Couoh
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  2. A. J. Aguilar-Caballero
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  3. J. F. J. Torres-Acosta
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  4. R. González-Garduño
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Correspondence to J. F. J. Torres-Acosta.

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Statement on the welfare of animals

The Ethics Committee of the Campus de Ciencias Biológicas y Agropecuarias, Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán, Mexico, approved this study for its development with experimental animals under permit no. CB-CCBA D-2016-001 issued on April 8, 2016.

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Palomo-Couoh, J.G., Aguilar-Caballero, A.J., Torres-Acosta, J.F.J. et al. Comparing the phenotypic susceptibility of Pelibuey and Katahdin female lambs against natural gastrointestinal nematode infections under hot humid tropical conditions. Parasitol Res 116, 1627–1636 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-017-5437-7

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