HAEMATO-BIOCHEMICAL INDICES OF RABBIT BUCKS INFECTED WITH TRYPANOSOMA BRUCEI BRUCEI

Abstract

This study was designed to determine the haematological values and plasma protein concentration of 20 adult rabbit (bucks), experimentally infected with Trypanosoma brucei  over a period of 12 weeks. Ten out of the 20 rabbit bucks were inoculated intraperitoneally with 1ml of saline diluted blood containing 1 x 106 trypanosomes T. brucei brucei, while theremaining ten rabbit bucks were left uninfected. The infected rabbit bucks were monitored for nine weeks, while the others served as control post infection. There was progressive decrease in PCV with mean values of 40.07 ± 0.49 % and 36.42 ± 1.15 % for the control and infected groups, respectively. Haemoglobin concentrations had mean values of 14.31 ± 1.01a g/dl and 12.21 ± 0.39b g/dl for the control and infected groups, respectively, while plasma protein concentrations of infected and control groups had mean values of 6.48 ± 0.08a gms/100ml and 6.41 ± 0.17b gms/100ml, respectively. The study revealed a significant decrease (p˂0.05) in haematological values and plasma protein concentrations of rabbit bucks infected with Trypanosoma brucei when compared to the control. It is therefore concluded that the metabolism and health status of rabbits infected with T. brucei brucei are altered which might lead to increase mortality