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The jejunal cellular responses in chickens infected with a single dose of Ascaridia galli eggs

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Abstract

This histopathological study was carried out in order to investigate the cellular response in the jejunum to Ascaridia galli during the first 7 weeks of infection. Fourty-two ISA Brown chickens (7 weeks old) were infected orally with 500 embryonated A. galli eggs each while 28 chickens were left as uninfected controls. Six infected and four control chickens were necropsied at each time point 3, 7, 10, 14, 21, 28 and 42 days post-infection (dpi). Samples for histopathology were taken from three sites of the jejunoileum. Significantly higher eosinophil counts were seen in infected chickens compared to uninfected at 3, 7, 10, 14 and 28 dpi (P < 0.01). In both groups, the initial number of mast cells was high, but this high level of mast cells remained for a longer period in the infected group compared to the control group. Significantly higher counts were thus found in the infected group at 21 (P < 0.001), 28 (P < 0.01) and 42 dpi (P < 0.05). A. galli infection induced changes in the mucosal thickness as reduced villi length at 7, 10, 14, 21 and 28 dpi and in the degree of general cellular infiltration in the lamina propria of the mucosal layer. No adult worms were seen during the experiment; therefore, A. galli larvae have elicited a moderate cellular response in the lamina propria, mainly consisting of eosinophils in the early phase and later of mast cells.

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Acknowledgements

DANIDA is thanked for financial support through grant DFC 09-054 LIFE. Thanks are given for the technical assistance from the Section of Pathology (Hanne Hornemann Møller, Betina Andersen and Lisbeth Kiørboe) and the Danish Centre for Experimental Parasitology (Lise-Lotte Christiansen), University of Copenhagen.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Section for Parasitology and Aquatic Diseases, Deparment of Veterinary Disease Biology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Thorvaldsensvej 57, 1871, Frederiksberg, Copenhagen, Denmark

    Luz Adilia Luna-Olivares, Tania Ferdushy, Peter Nejsum, Stig Milan Thamsborg & Allan Roepstorff

  2. Department of Large Animal Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark

    Niels Chr. Kyvsgaard

  3. Department of Pathology and Wildlife Diseases, National Veterinary Institute, Uppsala, Sweden

    Tine Moesgaard Iburg

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  1. Luz Adilia Luna-Olivares
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  2. Niels Chr. Kyvsgaard
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  3. Tania Ferdushy
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  4. Peter Nejsum
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  5. Stig Milan Thamsborg
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  6. Allan Roepstorff
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  7. Tine Moesgaard Iburg
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Correspondence to Luz Adilia Luna-Olivares.

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Luna-Olivares, L.A., Kyvsgaard, N.C., Ferdushy, T. et al. The jejunal cellular responses in chickens infected with a single dose of Ascaridia galli eggs. Parasitol Res 114, 2507–2515 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-015-4450-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-015-4450-y

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