The presence of an early L4 larvae population in relation to the immune response of calves against Ostertagia ostertagi

Abstract The influence of different levels of infection with Ostertagia ostertagi on the development of a protective immune response in calves was investigated. Four groups of calves were infected with either 5000 (Group A), 10 000 (Group B), 20 000 (Group C) or 40 000 (Group D) infective larvae ( O. ostertagi L 3 ) weekly until treatment began. Group E functioned as controls. All animals were treated with oxfendazole (9 mg ml −1 ) at Week 17 (Groups A, B and E) or Week 18 (Groups C and D). Sixteen days post-treatment all calves received a challenge infection of 150 000 O. ostertagi L 3 spread over 10 consecutive days. Faeces and blood were collected weekly for egg counts and to assess levels of pepsinogen, gastrin and IgG1 and IgG2 Ostertagia antibodies. All calves were necropsied 31 days post-challenge for worm counts. Egg counts and pepsinogen levels were proportional to the infection level during the first few weeks of the experiment. Only in the high-dosed Group D was a gastrin response evoked. Ostertagia IgG1 antibodies increased between Day 25 and Day 95, and in the non-infected control group an antibody rise was observed from Day 67 onwards. All measured parameters except Ostertagia antibodies showed a gradual decrease from Day 70 until the day of treatment. At necropsy there was no significant difference between the groups in the total worm populations. Only the composition of the worm populations differed, with 35% early L 4 (EL 4 ) larvae in the previously infected Groups A, B, C and D and only 5% in the control Group E. The results indicate a slow immune response against O. ostertagi in cattle and question the possible role of the EL 4 stage in developing immunity.