Catalytic Activity of Selected Serum Enzymes in Experimental Sarcocystosis in Calves

Nevole M., L. Malota, B. Koudela: Catalytic Activities of Selected Serum Enzymes in Experimental Sarcocystosis in Calves. Acta vet. Brno, 55, 1986: 81-84. , , Activities of blood serum enzymes, creatine kinase (CPK, EC 2.7.3.2.), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH, EC 1.1.1.27), and gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT, EC 2.3.2.1.) were investigated in seven calves during the course of experimental sarcocystosis. In calves infected orally with S. cruzi sarcocysts these enzyme activities differed from those found in control animals. The activities of CPK and GGTwere elevated from the third week after infection, and reached a maximum in weeks 8 and 9 of the disease. Serum LDH activity was elevated from the 7th week with a maximum in the 9th week post infection. Likewise the proportion of LDH isoenzyme 1 showed an increase from the 7th week reaching a maximum in the 9th week. The increased catalytic activities of blood serum enzymes correlated well with the course of the disease in calves. Experimental infection, calves, blood serum enzymes, disc electrop~oresis. Sarcocystosis is a disease caused by two-host coccidia of the genus Sarcocystis. Cattle are,the intermediate hosts of three Sarcocystis species, namely, S. cruzi, S. hirsuta and S. hominis. Of these, S. cruzi is the most pathogenic one for cattle. Less information is available on the two other species (Cerna 1983). Parasitizing sarcocysts cause a number of clinical symptoms in cattle such as anaemia, haemorrhagiae, diarrhoea, anorexia, loss of body mass, catarrhal enteritis, and gross lesions such as degenerative hepatitis, necrotizing myocarditis, hyperplasia of the lymphoreticular system, sometimes even haemorrhagic lymphadenitis. These symptoms may lead to death in young calves (Nevole et al. 1985). The occurrence and severity of the above-mentioned symptoms in infected animals correlates with the developmental cycle of the parasite depending on the numbers and localization of the meronts (Dubey 1983). ' The developmental cycle of the parasite in the host organism is relatively well known and manifests itself e.g. by changes in catalytic activities of organ specific enzymes such as serum LDH and GOT (Frelier et al. 1977; Dubey et al. 1981). In calves, the following values of serum enzymes have been described as physiological byJago~ and Bouda (1981): gamma-glutamyltransferase up to 0.58 [lmol/l, lactate dehydrogenase 11.12 to 16.73 [lmol/l, creatine kinase 0.0 to 0.668 [lmol/!. " , ' , The changes in catalytic activities of serum enzymes reflect the pathophysiological processes in the organism; in this case during the asexual phase of sporocyst multiplication. Therefore the aim of the present experiment was to follow the, course of changes in catalytic activities of serum CPK, LDH and GGT in experimentally infected calves.' , Materials and Methods Seven Red Danish calves aged 1 month were used in the experiment. They were housed in one pen and for 4 weeks fed a milk diet later supplemented by hay and a feed mixture for calves.