Effects of the sheep-chewing louse (Damalinia ovis) on the epidermis of the Australian merino.
- Resource Type
- Academic Journal
- Authors
- Britt AG; Cotton CL; Pitman IH; Sinclair AN
- Source
- Publisher: Commonwealth Scientific And Industrial Research Organization Country of Publication: Australia NLM ID: 0370613 Publication Model: Print Cited Medium: Print ISSN: 0004-9417 (Print) Linking ISSN: 00049417 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Aust J Biol Sci Subsets: MEDLINE
- Subject
- Language
- English
- ISSN
- 0004-9417
Frozen longitudinal skin sections taken from the dorsal thoraco-lumbar region of adult Merino sheep that were infested with the sheep-chewing louse were examined by light microscopy. The epidermis of infested sheep exhibited acanthosis due to hyperplasia of the stratum spinosum, and orthokeratosis. The thickness of the uncornified epidermis, the stratum corneum, and the sudanophilic region were significantly greater (P less than 0.005) than equivalent regions in louse-free Merinos and the results suggest that a positive correlation exists between the thickness of each region and the level of louse infestation. The results indicate that the variance in region thickness was greater in lousy than in louse-free sheep (P less than 0.005).