Phenotypic characterization and immune response of goat crossbreds naturally infected by gastrointestinal nematode

The aim of this study was to evaluate phenotypic, histologic, immunologic and molecular tools to characterize goat crossbred in resistant and susceptibily to gastrointestinal nematodes. For this purpose, we used 231 F2 animals of both genders, of ages between five and ten months, from four different kidding seasons. Stool and blood samples were collected weekly for eggs per gram of feces (EPG) determinations, fecal culture, packed cell volume (PCV), total plasma protein (TPP), blood eosinophils (EOS) and immunological tests. Famacha scores were obtained on the same sample collection days. The animals were ranked according to EPG values and the 12 animals with lowest means were considered resistant while the 12 animals with the highest means were considered susceptible. The animals in the experimental lot 4, presented the best phenotypic characterization and were chosen for, recovery of gastrointestinal nematodes and tissue samples for histological and gene expression determinations. EPG, PCV and TPP were effective in the identification of resistant and susceptible. In the other lots, the PCV, TPP, eosinophil count and Famacha were not as effective as EPG. IgG and IgA levels, particularly for Haemonchus contortus infection in both challenges, showed significant differences in some of the studied timepoints. Resistant animals presented higher eosinophil counts in the abomasum, indicating that these cells participate in the control of gastrointestinal infections. IL-5 and IL-10 gene expression levels were significantly higher in the susceptible group, showing that the expression of these cytokines in the fifth week of infection may have a role in mechanisms of susceptibility to gastrointestinal nematodes.O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar ferramentas fenotípicas, histológicas, imunológicas e moleculares para caracterizar caprinos mestiços quanto à resistência e susceptibilidade aos nematoides gastrintestinais. Para isso, foram utilizados 231 animais F2, de ambos os sexos, com idade variando de cinco a dez meses, provenientes de quatro lotes experimentais. Semanalmente, foram coletadas amostras de fezes e sangue para realização dos exames: contagem de ovos por grama de fezes (OPG), coprocultura, volume globular (VG), proteína plasmática total (PPT), eosinófilos sanguíneos (EOS) e determinação dos níveis de imunoglobulinas. Nos mesmos dias das coletas, também foi realizado o método Famacha. Os animais foram ordenados de acordo com os valores de OPG, os 12 animais que apresentaram as menores médias foram caracterizados como resistentes e os 12 animais que apresentaram as maiores médias foram caracterizados como susceptíveis. Os animais do lote experimental 4, como apresentaram a melhor caracterização fenotípica, foram necropsiados para a recuperação dos nematoides gastrintestinais e amostras de tecidos para análises histológicas e de expressão gênica. O OPG foi eficaz, nos quatro lotes, para a caracterização de caprinos resistentes e susceptíveis as parasitoses gastrintestinais nos dois desafios de infecção (P