Listeriosis in Sheep: Experimental Listeric Infection in Sheep Treated with Various Immunosuppressiva

Four groups of lambs, about 6 months old, were given 4 different immunosuppressiva (prednisolone, cyclophosphamide, niridazole and gestagene hormones), 1 substance to each group. After this treatment the 4 groups together with a 5th group of the same size, were infected with Listeria monocytogenes (Lm).None of the animals developed clinical listeric encephalitis. The level of antibodies differed between the groups. The group not given any immun osuppressivum reached the highest antibody titres, the group given gestagene hormones had the lowest titres and the other groups ranged somewhere inbetween. All the groups except the group treated with niridazole had a strong delayed hypersensitivity reaction against Lm. The effects of the treatment upon some blood components are also described.Further studies are necessary to establish the effect of various immunosuppressiva, especially gestagene hormones.     

Listeriosis in Sheep: Tick-Borne Fever used as a Model to Study Predisposing Factors

Three groups of 6 months old lambs, each group consisting of 5 animals, were infected experimentally with Ehrlichia phagocytophila (Ep), Listeria monocytogenes (Lm) and Ep/Lm, respectively. All the animals had a period with fever and reduced appetite after infection, and these symptoms were most pronounced in the group with the combined infection (Ep/Lm). One animal in group Lm developed listeric meninigo-encephalitis.Lm was isolated from blood samples from both groups infected with Lm during the first week after infection, and from faecal samples during the first 2 weeks. Lm was also isolated from organs from several animals in these 2 groups at post-mortem examination.Group Ep/Lm developed the highest reciprocal geometrical mean titres and the stromgest delayed hypersensitivity reaction against Lm.After infection, a fall in serum iron and albumin was recorded, and the groups infected with Ep had a substantial fall in neutrophils.The myeloid : erythroid ratio in the bone marrow tended to decrease in Group Ep/Lm after infection.An increase in leucocyte counts and total protein content was found in the cerebrospinal fluid in the 2 groups infected with Lm, The experiment indicates that the blood changes induced by tick-borne fever viz, neutropenia and probably also impaired function of the neutrophils, may predispose for listeric septicaemia, but probably not for listeric meningo-encephalitis.