PROGESTERONE PROFILES AND HEMATOLOGY OF THE OPEN AND PREGNANT ONE HUMPED SHE CAMELS IN FIRST AND SECOND TRIMESTERS

Abstract

Very few studies have been carried out on the progesterone level in the different stages of gestation in one humped camels in northern Nigeria. The aim of the present study was to study and determine the levels of progesterone in the open and pregnant camels in first and second trimesters as well as the associated hematological changes. Total of 60 blood samples were collected from 10 she-Camels (3 open, 3 in first and 4 in second trimesters) in 6 weeks for the study and ELISA kit was used for the determination of progesterone levels while automatic hematology analyzer was used for the haematological analysis. The progesterone values showed significant (P < 0.05) increase of 2.21 ± 0.34 and 3.61 ± 0.37 ng/mL for the first (up to 4 months) and second (4 to 8 months) trimester she-camels respectively compared to the open which had 0.46 ± 0.12 ng/mL. The haematological parameters showed no significant difference in the values for other hematological parameters except for the lymphocyte count that showed a decreasing pattern of 9.80 ± 1.28, 7.83 ± 1.06, 5.59 ± 0.92 (109 /L) for the open camels, first and second trimester respectively. In conclusion, pregnant camels in first trimester have higher level of Progesterone than the open camels, which also increases significantly in second trimester. There was also a significant decrease in lymphocyte count as pregnancy progresses