Neil et al June & December 2010

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Sokoto Journal of Veterinary Sciences, 8(1&2):39-41

The response of serum manganese in Trypanosoma congolense infection in Yankasa sheep

JS Neils, AKB Sackey, US Abdullahi & KAN Esievo

Abstract

Twenty two (22) Yankassa sheep obtained from a tsetse free area were acclimatized for a period of 4 weeks and divided into three groups (A, B and C) of eight, eight and six sheep, respectively, based on their mean packed cell volume (PCV) values. Sheep in groups A and B were experimentally infected with 2ml of blood from donor sheep containing 10⁵ T. congolense organisms via the jugular vein, while group C animals were left as uninfected control. On the day of peak parasitaemia levels (day 28), in both groups, animals in group A were treated with diminazene aceturate (Berenil ^®, Hoechst AG, Frankfurt, Germany) at dose rate of 3.5mg/kg, through deep intra muscular injection while group B animals were not treated. Serum samples were collected weekly from 6 animals in both groups beginning weeks before infection and lasted 8 weeks post-infection. Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (Unicam Solaar 32) technique was used to determine the concentrations of manganese (Mn) in both pre- and post-infection sera. The mean serum concentration of Mn in groups A and B initially increased and then fluctuated between weeks 2 and 5 post-infection. There was significant difference serum concentrations of Mn (P0.05) between the infected groups. The initial increase in concentration may have been protective and from desialylated red blood cells that have been lysed by the trypanosomes. Variations in concentration of Mn likely assisted in the haemolysis in T. congolense infection in Yankasa sheep.