Abstract
Teladorsagia circumcincta is one of the most economically important gastrointestinal nematode parasites of sheep in cool temperate regions, to which sheep show genetically-varying resistance to infection. This is a very common parasite and viable sheep production requires the extensive use of anthelmintic drugs. However, the emergence of drug-resistant parasites has stimulated the search for alternative control strategies to curb production losses. Lambs become infected soon after weaning and begin to control parasite burden within 8-10 weeks of continual infection. This control is an acquired characteristic mediated by the development of parasite-specific antibodies. This paper describes the immunology associated with resistance and susceptibility, focussing on differential T cell activation that regulates the production of specific effector mechanisms. It continues by summarizing the methods used to identify genes that could be exploited as molecular markers of selection for resistance. In particular it focusses on the link between understanding the molecular immunology of infection and the identification of candidate genes for selection.
Highlights
This paper describes the immunology associated with resistance and susceptibility, focussing on differential T cell activation that regulates the production of specific effector mechanisms
Eosinophils have been shown to have a significant role in protection to gastrointestinal nematode infections of many species including Strongyloides stercoralis in mice (Galioto et al, 2006) and Haemonchus contortus in sheep (Balic et al, 2006; Robinson et al, 2010)
RT-qPCR assays on the abomasal lymph node revealed significantly high levels of IL-6, IL-21 and IL-23A in susceptible sheep and a positive correlation with adult worm count and faecal egg count (FEC); consistent with the hypothesis that the inability to control L3 larval colonization, adult worm infection and egg production is due to the activation of the inflammatory Th17 T cell subset (Gossner et al, 2012a; Gossner et al, 2012b)
Summary
Citation for published version: Venturina, VM, Gossner, AG & Hopkins, J 2013, 'The immunology and genetics of resistance of sheep to Teladorsagia circumcincta', Veterinary Research Communications, vol 37, no. 2, pp. 171-181. Citation for published version: Venturina, VM, Gossner, AG & Hopkins, J 2013, 'The immunology and genetics of resistance of sheep to Teladorsagia circumcincta', Veterinary Research Communications, vol 37, no. Publisher Rights Statement: This is an unedited but peer-reviewed version of the paper. The final version is available at: http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs11259-013-9559-9
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