PANCREATIC CHANGES IN ANIMALS EXPERIMENTALLY INFECTED WITH FOOT AND MOUTH DISEASE VIRUS

Document Type : Research article

Authors

Abstract

Three calves, 1-11/2 year old, and two adult sheep were used in the present study. The animals were experimentally infected by inoculation of FMD virus (subtype 0, strain 2/72 Egypt) using a dose of 10" MLD/ml. The cattle were given only a single dose of one ml by intradermolingual route while sheep were inoculated through intradermolingual, intradigital and intranasal routes with one ml each. Blood was collected before infection and at the time of slaughter. The experimental calves were slaughtered at 3, 5 and 30 days after infection while sheep were slaughtered 4 and 6 days postinoculation. Gross examination of slaughtered animals revealed typical pathological lesions of the disease in calves while in sheep, only mild changes were found.
The microscopical picture of the pancreas of two calves slaughtered 3 and 5 days post-infection showed areas of degeneration and necro sis in the acinar tissue while the islets of langerhans were apparently normal.
Sera from these calves revealed an elevated activity of amylase and lipase and drop of glucose level. On the other hand, no changes were observed in amylase or lipase activity or glucose level in infect ed sheep and the calf slaughtered after 30 days.