Pathological changes in goats experimentally infected with Trichinella spiralis

SUMMARY This paper presents the results of a histopathological study carried out in 10 autochthonous kids (6 male and 4 female) experimentally infected with Trichinella spiralis "T1" to demonstrate the host character of goats to T. spiralis and the alterations produced by the parasite in this atypical host. Hypertrophia of Peyer's patches, desquamative and catarrhal enteritis that evolve to hyperplasic and chronic enteritis in the intestine ; glycogen degeneration and granulomatous hepatitis in the liver ; membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis, tubular degeneration and interstitial oedema that evolve to interstitial nephritis ; hyperemia and interfascicular oedema, Zenker degeneration, granulomatous myositis (myocarditis in the heart) and presence of interfibrillar cysts in the striated muscle were the main alterations observed. Besides these lesions, others were detected in the spleen, lymph nodes, lungs and central nervous system. This extensive lesional picture, and the excellent establishment of T. spiralis larvae in the musculature confirm the host character of the goats to the parasite.