Clinicopathological Indications of Resilience of Swamp Buffaloes to Infection with Fasciola gigantica
Fasciolosis caused by Fasciola gigantica is a common disease among livestock such as swamp buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis) in rice-producing areas in humid tropical regions. It causes a significant reduction in meat and milk production, growth rate, fertility and draught power in infected animals (Dargie, 1987). However, the extent to which infection adversely affects the production of infected animals depends on several factors, among which is the breed of susceptible animals. Different breeds of animals and individuals within the same breed manifest varying responses and resilience to infection (Spithill et at., 1999). For instance, differences in response to infection with F. gigantica were seen in Bali, Ongole and buffalo calves in terms of weight gain (E. Wiedosari, personal communication, 1997). This information demonstrates breed differences in response to F. gigantica infection and shows that swamp buffaloes are more resilient than cattle to F. gigantica. The clinicopathological responses of swamp buffaloes naturally infected with F. gigantica were evaluated in this study to determine whether these parameters would indicate resilience to natural infection with parasites.
Bovine fascioliasis in Nigeria. I. Haematological indices and their correlation with worm burden in chronic fascioliasis.
SUMMARY An attempt was made to correlate the haematological Findings in chronic fascioliasis with worm burdens. Significantly lower values were obtained for estimates of packed cell volume (PCV), haemoglobin (Hb) and red blood cell counts (RBC) (P  Haemoglobin values had the highest correlation with worm burdens (r = − 0·38) while the least correlation was obtained for eosinophil counts (r = − 0·076). The results indicate that the degree of anaemia in Fasciola gigantica infection is related to the intensity of the infection. The latter is consistent with the results of radioisotopic studies which show that the anaemia of fascioliasis is a consequence of the acquisition of a blood meal by flukes.
Silica in Soils1
Publisher Summary Silica in free and combined forms is a dominant component of the solid material of many soils, and dissolved silica is commonly a major solute of soil solutions. Breakdown of primary silicates, translocation of silica in solution, and deposition of secondary silica-containing substances are involved in the development of soils. Ions essential for the growth of plants are released to the soil solution as silicates weather, and these ions may be held against leaching at exchange sites on other silicates. Silica is absorbed in appreciable quantities by some plants and is returned to the surface of the soil as the plants decay. The nature and transformations of silica and silicates in soil are, thus, fundamental to an understanding of many aspects of soil and plant sciences.