Genetic variation among lambs in peripheral IgE activity against the larval stages of Teladorsagia circumcincta

IgA and IgE activity against Teladorsagia circumcincta was investigated in a flock of Texel lambs following natural, mixed nematode infection among lambs. The distribution of IgA activity was similar to a gamma distribution whereas IgE activity was different. Box-Cox analysis demonstrated that X-0.25 was a suitable transformation to normalise IgE responses. The transformed IgE activity was under moderate to strong genetic control. Nine different allergens were identified by proteomic analysis. Tropomyosin was selected for further analysis. IgE activity;against tropomyosin was moderately heritable and associated with decreased egg counts and with reduced body weight at the time of sampling.