CHANGES IN PACKED CELL VOLUME AND HEMOGLOBIN CONCENTRATION IN DOGS WITH SINGLE AND CONJUNCT EXPERIMENTAL INFECTIONS OF Trypanosoma brucei AND Ancylostoma caninum

Abstract

Philipp J Vet Anim Sci 2011, 37 (2): 151-158

Trypanosomosis has been associated with immunosuppression in infected animals and the cardinal sign of Trypanosomosis and ancylostomosis in infected animals is anemia. Measurement of anemia gives a reliable indication of the disease status and productive performance of trypanosome-infected animals; hence the importance of this work to determine the severity of anemia in dogs with single and conjunct infections of Trypanosoma brucei and Ancylostoma caninum as manifested in the decrease in packed cell volume (PCV) and hemoglobin (Hb). Twenty local dogs of both sexes, 6-8 months old, were divided into four treatment groups with five dogs per treatment. GP1 was uninfected control while GP2, GP3 and GP4 were infected with A. caninum, T. brucei and conjunct A. caninum/T. brucei, respectively. Results showed that anemia was more severe in the conjunct infection than in single infections. The infections were characterized by decrease (P<0.05) PCV and Hb concentrations in GP2, GP3 and GP4 compared to GP1. These were lowest in GP4, followed by GP2 and GP3. This result, therefore, confirms that Trypanosoma brucei has immunosuppressive effect in infected animals.