Plasma protein loss in growing pigs during the prepatent and early patent periods of infection with high doses of Hyostrongylus rubidus larvae

Abstract

Low levels of total plasma protein and albumin have been detected in growing pigs infected with 200 000 and 350 000 larvae of Hyostrongylus rubidus. Further studies using 131I labelled albumin and 131I polyvinyl pyrrolidone have shown that this depression in total plasma protein and albumin results from plasma protein leakage into the gastro-intestinal tract at a time when the worms were migrating, or, had just finished migrating from the gastric glands on to the mucosal surface.