Computed tomography revealed that bone density in lambs was affected by Trichostrongylus colubriformis infection

Abstract

In this study we aimed to analyze computed tomography images of bony density in lambs submitted to infection induced by Trichostrongylus colubriformis. The lambs were randomly assigned to two experimental treatments: infected group (I) (n = 9) and control group (C) (n = 9). The lambs of group I were orally infected with 5000 T. colubriformis infective larvae (L3), three times per week during three weeks, totaling 45,000 L3. On the other hand, the lambs of group C remained uninfected. Each lamb was scanned 2x, the first scanning before the initial infection and the 2nd in the final of experimental period, with an interval of 90 days between measurements. For the analyses, the regions of the 4th and 12th ribs and thigh (femur) were selected, on the right side of the animal. The results showed that T. colubriformis infection reduced the bone density of growing lambs in the 4th rib (P = 0.0005), 12th rib region (P = <0.0001) and femur (P = 0.0063). Also, infected lambs had their bone density (4th rib, 12th rib and femur) reduced over time. We concluded that bone density in lambs was affected by Trichostrongylus colubriformis infection.