Effects of nematode infection on anorexia and leptin levels in lambs of two breeds

Abstract

The objective of this study was to investigate whether breed differences in production potential are associated with differences in the occurrence of anorexia following a nematode infection and whether plasma leptin concentrations elevate as a result of infection. Weaned lambs, of the Suffolk x Greyface cross and Scottish Blackface breed were either trickle infected with 21,000 infective Teladorsagia circumcincta larvae per week, or not infected. The results suggest that both the magnitude and duration of anorexia differ considerably between the two breeds and is likely to associate with their differences in immune response. In addition, results suggest that leptin has a role in the expression of immunity and parasite-induced anorexia in sheep.