Pathophysiology of fascioliasis in the rabbit. Studies on albumin turnover

Abstract Serum albumin labelled with 131 I was used to measure the total body pool, distribution and catabolic rate of albumin in four rabbits infected with F. hepatica and four control rabbits. The fractional catabolic rate of albumin in the infected rabbits was strikingly greater than that in the controls, suggesting hypercatabolism as an important factor in the hypoalbuminaemia associated with F. hepatica infections. The result is consistent with a substantial loss of albumin into the gastrointestinal tract, presumably in the bile. Confirmation of a significant transfer of plasma macromolecules into the gut in infected rabbits was obtained from studies on the faecal excretion of labelled polyvinylpyrrolidone.