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The pathophysiological effects of gastrointestinal and liver parasites in sheep

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Digestive Physiology and Metabolism in Ruminants

Abstract

Sheep at pasture are invariably infected with worms. In many countries, particularly in the tropics and subtropics where conditions are often more favourable for the development and survival of infective stages, these parasites are recognized as a major cause of death. Even more significant on a global basis are the losses resulting from inferior weight gains, slower wool growth, condemnation of carcasses and organs, as well as the cost of drugs and veterinary care. The economic impact of these effects is impossible to quantify, but in Europe alone where strategic control measures are often incorporated into farm management systems, the damage is over a hundred million pounds annually66. Parasites therefore pose serious problems to the livestock industry, and as such are well worthy of the detailed attention required to explain how they cause disease. Historically, the solution has been sought through studies of the pathological lesions, clinical effects and/or blood composition changes accompanying infection. This approach has contributed substantially to our knowledge of the damage caused by parasites and hopefully will continue to form the essential base from which underlying functional disorders may be investigated. However, it should not, as has been all too common in the past, be the basis for defining the mechanisms of disease. This is only possible by examining host function or dysfunction in more direct and quantitative terms at the organ as well as the cell level. The present review is an attempt to describe ovine parasitism within this framework.

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  1. J. D. Dargie
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physiology, National Veterinary School, Toulouse, France

    Y. Ruckebusch (Head) (Head)

  2. Laboratory of Ruminant Digestion, INRA, Theix, France

    P. Thivend (Head) (Head)

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Dargie, J.D. (1980). The pathophysiological effects of gastrointestinal and liver parasites in sheep. In: Ruckebusch, Y., Thivend, P. (eds) Digestive Physiology and Metabolism in Ruminants. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-8067-2_17

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-8067-2_17

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-94-011-8069-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-011-8067-2

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