[Pathomorphological studies of trichocephaliasis in sheep].

The morphologic study of 22 sucking and weaned lambs (8 experimentally and 14 spontaneously infected with Trichocephalus) revealed that in its biologic development in the host Trichocephalus fixes itself firmly and penetrates deeply at its head and into the mucous membrane of the caecum and the large intestine. Besides, at these sites morphologic lesions in cases of strong infection have been established in the liver, kidneys, spleen, and lung. The desquamated epithelial cells and the erythrocytes found in the digestive canal of the parasite showed that sheep Trichocephalus sp. are hematophages. The indented chitin cover and its morphologic peculiarities is a structural anatomic and biologic adaptation enabling the fixing and dependable adherence to the intestinal mucous membrane of the host.