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Full Length Research Paper
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Changes in the serum
profiles of lipids and cholesterol in sheep experimental
model of acute African trypanosomosis
Sani Adamu1*,
Abiodun A. Ige1, Isa D. Jatau2, Joel
S. Neils3, Nicodemus M. Useh1,
Mohammed Bisalla1, Najume D.G. Ibrahim1,
Andrew J. Nok4 and King A. N. Esievo1
1Department
of Veterinary Pathology and Microbiology, Faculty of
Veterinary Medicine, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria,
Nigeria.
2Department
of Veterinary Parasitology and Entomology, Faculty of
Veterinary Medicine, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria,
Nigeria.
3Department
of Animal Production, Adamawa State University, Mubi,
Adamawa State, Nigeria.
4Department
of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, Ahmadu Bello
University, Zaria, Nigeria.
*Corresponding author. E-mail:
sanad1966@yahoo.co.uk. Tel:
+2348055696488.
Accepted
2 April, 2008 |
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Abstract |
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In an effort to further elucidate the possible effect of
trypanosome infection on serum levels of some lipids and
cholesterol, five sheep (the infected group) were each
intravenously inoculated with 2 ml of blood containing 1 x
106 Trypanosoma congolense organisms.
Another five uninfected sheep served as control group. Blood
samples were collected from all the animals every other day
from the day of infection (day 0) up to the termination of
the experiment. The samples were used for haematological and
parasitological analyses and determination of serum
concentrations of total cholesterol, triglycerides, high
density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-cholesterol) and low
density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-cholesterol). All
animals in the infected group showed parasitaemia by day 11
post-infection (PI) and the infection caused a gradual
decline in the values of packed cell volume (PCV) and those
of serum total cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL-cholesterol
and LDL-cholesterol. Values of all these parameters in the
control group remained fairly normal, relative to the
pre-infection ones on day 0, throughout the experimental
period. The PI mean values of serum total cholesterol,
triglycerides, HDL-cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol, measured
in mmol/l, in the infected group were 3.44 ± 0.71, 1.62 ±
0.40, 0.78 ± 0.20 and 1.92 ± 0.40, respectively, while those
in the control group were 4.32 ± 0.18, 2.24 ± 0.11, 1.15 ±
0.10 and 2.26 ± 0.30, respectively. The differences between
the PI mean values in the two groups of animals were
significant (P<0.05). T. congolense utilization of
the molecules could, among other factors, be the cause of
the reduced serum levels of these parameters and this could
be a contributory factor in the pathophysiology of some of
the disorders observed in trypanosome-infected animals.
Key
words:
Trypanosomosis, sheep, cholesterol, triglycerides, low
density lipoprotein, high density lipoprotein. |
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