Globule Leucocytes and Respiratory Diseases in Cattle

Akpavie, Stephen Owarioro (1985) Globule Leucocytes and Respiratory Diseases in Cattle. PhD thesis, University of Glasgow.

Abstract

A review of the literature concerning the immunity to helminth parasites indciated the involvement of the mucosal mast cell (MMC); and the production of another cell, the globule leucocyte (GL). This cell has been found and characterised in various mucous membranes including those of alimentary tract, the bile duct, the urinary system and the respiratory tract of different animal species. Globule leucocytes have been observed in the bovine respiratory tract in health and in disease. Large numbers have been seen in the respiratory tracts of adult cattle, but no detailed studies have been done to characterise this cell in the bovine respiratory tract. It was also not known if their presence in the bovine respiratory tract was a coincidental finding or if it indicated a pathological state particularly one following exposure to parasites especially the bovine lungworm Dictyocaulus viviparus. The work reported in this thesis was therefore undertaken in order to understand the importance of the GL in bovine respiratory diseases. The results of a survey carried out among different age groups of cattle established the presence of GL in all age groups of cattle from foetuses to adults although they were not found in every animal examined. The distributions of GL within the bovine respiratory tract varied in the different age groups examined. Globule leucocytes were more concentrated in the trachea in younger animals as compared to adult animals where they were more concentrated in the bronchi and especially the bronchi of the caudal lung lobes. With the light microscope, the GL of the bovine respiratory tract was similar to those of other mucous membranes described by other workers. The GL of the bovine respiratory tract were observed to contain both sulphated and carboxylated mucin in the young animal as do mast cells, while in the adult, they contained carboxylated and neutral mucin. Only two types of globules were seen with the electron microscope in the GL of the bovine respiratory tract and rough endoplasmic reticulum or Golgi apparatus were not seen in the cells examined. There was no distinct relationship found between the bovine respiratory tract GL and clinical respiratory disease, although the GL population density was more likely to be increased in adult animals with clinical respiratory disease. In addition, both calves and adult animals with gross and microscopic lung lesions were more likely to have high densities of GL in their respiratory tracts. Globule leucocytes were not found in the urinary bladder of any of the cattle examined. The presence of GL in the bovine respiratory tract did not correspond to their presence in either the bile duct or the abomasum where they were also found, but the percentage of animals with GL in their respiratory tracts as well as in their bile ducts and abomasums increased with age. Globule leucocytes were found in the respiratory tracts of calves exposed to D. viviparus infection, but the population densities of GL seen in the lungs of these calves were not different from what was normally seen in the respiratory tracts of this age group of cattle. It was concluded that GL were found in the respiratory tracts of calves infected with D. viviparus but no definite correlation could be demonstrated between the bovine respiratory tract GL and lungworm infections. In addition, it was thought that the presence of large numbers of GL in the lungs of adult cattle might be associated with the age of the animal resulting in their exposure on more than one occasion to other unidentified stimuli.

• Item Type: Thesis (PhD)
• Qualification Level: Doctoral
• Keywords: Animal diseases, Veterinary science, Parasitology
• Date of Award: 1985
• Depositing User: Enlighten Team
• Unique ID: glathesis:1985-76607
• Copyright: Copyright of this thesis is held by the author.
• Date Deposited: 19 Nov 2019 14:04
• Last Modified: 19 Nov 2019 14:04
• URI: https://theses.gla.ac.uk/id/eprint/76607