Veterinary Parasitology 191 (2013) 390–393 Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect Veterinary Parasitology jou rn al h om epa ge: www.elsevier.com/locate/vetpar Short communication Histopathological, histochemical and immunohistochemical findings of the small intestine in goats naturally infected by Trichostrongylus colubriformis F. Trapani, O. Paciello, S. Papparella, L. Rinaldi, G. Cringoli ∗ , P. Maiolino Department of Pathology and Animal Health, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy a r t i c l e i n f o Article history: Received 11 June 2012 Received in revised form 10 September 2012 Accepted 16 September 2012 Keywords: Goats Gastrointestinal strongyles Trichostrongylus colubriformis Histopathological Histochemical and immunohistochemical findings a b s t r a c t Gastrointestinal (GI) strongyle infection remains one of the main constraints to goat pro- duction worldwide. Samples of small intestine from 15 Syrian goats naturally infected with Trichostrongylus colubriformis were examined by routine histology, histochemistry and immunohistochemistry to describe the histological changes and the phenotypes of inflam- matory cellular components of the mucosa. Results indicated that the immune response to infection by T. colubriformis was characterized by an increased rate of the severity of the histologic lesions, an increase rate of T cell lymphocytes recruitment to the intesti- nal mucosa and quantitative and qualitative changes in the histochemical composition of mucin in goblet cells. © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction Gastrointestinal (GI) strongyles are the most widely distributed helminths in pasturing goats worldwide and are regarded as an important health and economic prob- lem of goat production (Rinaldi et al., 2007). They are infections caused by different genera/species of nematodes (Teladorsagia, Haemonchus, Trichostrongylus, Oesophagos- tomum, Chabertia and Bunostomum), each localized in a specific tract of the digestive apparatus of the host. Infec- tion by GI strongyles can be similar to a nutritional disease, since the presence of worms usually induces a decrease in appetite, a decreased digestibility of the food and a ∗ Corresponding author at: Department of Pathology and Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Naples Federico II, Via della Veterinaria, 1, 80137 Naples, Italy. Tel.: +39 081 2536283; fax: +39 081 2536282. E-mail address: cringoli@unina.it (G. Cringoli). URL: http://www.parassitologia.unina.it (G. Cringoli). diversion of nutrients from production sites toward the repair of tissue-damage provoked by the parasites (Hoste et al., 2006, 2010). Most infected goats remain sub- clinically infected; others show GI pathologies whose intensity depends on the worm burden, the species of nematode, their life cycle (if there are or not tissutal phases) and their localization. The pathogenic effects of GI strongyles can be enhanced by other factors, e.g. other infections/diseases, alimentary disorders, etc. Although general aspects of morphology, biology, epidemiology and control of GI strongyles of goats are generally known, oth- ers, such as the pathogenic role of each of these parasites in goats, are less known (Hoste et al., 2010). Some authors have reported tissue lesions in goats nat- urally infected with Haemonchus contortus (Perez et al., 2001) and others have focused on the inflammatory cell response (Huntley et al., 1995). Small intestine lesions caused by GI strongyles in naturally infected goats have not been studied in detail, and studies on host–parasite interaction in goats remain few and dispersed (Hoste 0304-4017/$ – see front matter © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.vetpar.2012.09.017