Biomedical subjects
J H Whitlock
Publications and source records attributed to J H Whitlock.
Changes in the hatch rate of Haemonchus contortus eggs between geographic regions.
Vulvar phenotypes and the rate of development of eggs over a range of temperatures were used to compare Haemonchus contortus populations in New York State and Ohio. These parameters indicated that the westernmost boundary of the subspecies Haemonchus contortus cayugensis is the Chautauqua valley in New York. The Haemonchus ecotype in Ohio had a vulvar phenotype formula similar to that described for the subspecies Haemonchus contortus contortus. The relationship between slope and intercept of the regression of rate of egg hatch on temperature was different for morphs within ecotypes as well as between the New York and Ohio ecotypes. Linguiform-A appeared to be the cold-adapted morph in both ecotypes. Smooth was the warm-adapted morph in New York with linguiform-B filling that niche in Ohio.
Biological controls in mixed trichostrongyle infections.
The parasite reaction phenotype of 80 lambs was determined with natural infection on pasture. These lambs were then assigned to outcome groups and randomized into treatment groups. Developing some simple but unusual analytical techniques it was possible to demonstrate that mixed natural infections of trichostrongyles with the chief biomass component Haemonchus contortus cayugensis protected against superinfections with 35000 infective larvae but protected against superinfections with 1000 infective larvae per day only within the limits characteristic of the enclosing barn ecosystem. The limits of the barn ecosystem were less constraining on more diathetic sheep than the natural pasture infection. Internal evidence from the experiment suggests that the interaction of sheep X pasture X infective trichostrongylid larvae constrains the parasite biomass in the host in more diathetic animals at significantly lower levels. Anaphylactoid 'self-cure' did not occur in this experiment but something like premunition certainly did.