Leucine metabolism across the gastrointestinal tract of sheep infected with Trichostrongylus colubriformis

Abstract

In previous studies where sheep were subjected to experimental subclinical Trichostrongylus colubriformis infections, protein metabolism was seriously impaired during both the initial infection (5-7 weeks at early dosing) and the subsequent immune response (11-13 weeks of dosing) periods (see MacRae, 1993). Symonds and Jones (1983) reported that T. colubriformis infection increased the rates of protein synthesis in the small and large intestines of guinea pigs by 24 and 70% respectively, however there are no equivalent data in farm animals. In the present study trans-organ catheterisation procedures have been coupled with mass isotope tracer kinetics to examine leucine metabolism across the gastrointestinal (g.i.) tract of lambs subjected to subclinical T. colubriformis infection.