COMPARATIVE STUDIES ON THE INEFECTIVITY AND PATHOGENICITY OF EXPERIMENTAL TRYPANOSOMA BRUCEI BRUCEI INFECTION IN MICE, RATS, RABBITS AND GUINEA FOWLS
COMPARATIVE STUDIES ON THE INEFECTIVITY AND PATHOGENICITY OF EXPERIMENTAL TRYPANOSOMA BRUCEI BRUCEI INFECTION IN MICE, RATS, RABBITS AND GUINEA FOWLS
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Date
2018-01
Authors
HUSSAIN, KARIMAT
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Abstract
The study compared the infectivity and pathogenecity of experimental Trypanosoma brucei
brucei infection in mice, rats, rabbits and guinea fowls. A total of 10 each of the following
animals‟ mice, rats, rabbits and guinea fowls of both sexes were used for the study. Each group
of the animal species was divided into two groups (infected and control) of five animals each.
The mice, rats, rabbits and guinea fowls in the infected groups were individually inoculated with
blood containing 1 x106 Trypanosoma brucei brucei (Fadere stock). All animals in the control
groups were not infected. Patent parasitaemia as determined by haematocrit centrifugation
technique was between 3-4 days in the mice and rats, while it was 7-8 days in rabbits. No
parasitaemia was seen in the infected Guinea fowl throughout the study. The mean body weights
of mice, rats and rabbits decreased in the infected group as compared to the control group. All
animals in the infected group with the exception of guinea fowls showed increase in body
temperature. In the mice and rats there were significance diferrences (SD) (p < 0.05) in the
overall mean PCV, HGB and RBC between the infected groups (IG) as compared to the control
group (CG). In the rabbits there were SSD (P < 0.05) in the overall mean PCV, HGB and RBC
between the IG (36.1 ± 0.6%, 12.11 ± 0.8 g/dl and 5.9 ± 0.4×106) and CG (43.7 ± 0.5%, 14.1 ±
0.9 g/dl and 7.23 ± 0.3×106 respectively). There was no SD (P > 0.05) between the overall
mean PCV, HGB and RBC of the infected guinea fowls and those of the control group
throughout the period of the experiment. Also, no mortality was recorded among the infected
guinea fowls as consequence of the infection. A decrease in mean total white blood cell (WBC)
counts of the rats and the rabbits were observed while mice and guinea fowls groups showed no
significance difference between the WBC of the infected and control groups. Microscopic
lesions observed in the mice, rats and rabbits included congested central vein and perivascular
cuffing, congestion and mononuclear cellular infilteration around blood vessels of the lungs,
depletion of lymphoid cells, congested inter tubular spaces and focal necrosis of renal tubular
epithelium. In the guinea fowls, the spleen revealed heamosiderosis. The study thus
demonstrated that mice, rats and rabbits are, in order of susceptibility better laboratory models
than the guinea fowls which tend to show some measure of resistance to Trypanosoma brucei
brucei used in the experiment. Therefore rabbits could be use in our laboratory to preserve
Trypanosoma brucei brucei.
Description
A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE SCHOOL OF POSTGRADUATE STUDIES, AHMADU
BELLO UNIVERSITY ZARIA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR
THE AWARD OF MASTER OF SCIENCE IN VETERINARY PROTOZOOLOGY
DEPARTMENT OF VETERINARY PARASITOLOGY AND ENTOMOLOGY,
AHMADU BELLO UNIVERSITY,
ZARIA, NIGERIA
Keywords
COMPARATIVE STUDIES ON THE INFECTIVITY,, PATHOGENICITY,, EXPERIMENTAL TRYPANOSOMA BRUCEI BRUCEI INFECTION,, MICE, RATS, RABBITS,, GUINEA FOWLS