Background:
Trypanosoma evansi is the most widely distributed of the pathogenic African
animal trypanosomes, affecting domestic
livestock and wildlife in country. The
animals presented clinical sings as
anemia,
emaciation,
apathy, recurrent
fever , enlarged
lymph nodes,
edema and
abortion The
minerals have different functions in the organism, and an imbalance, either by excess or
deficiency, or a pathological condition, causes alterations in the respective
serum levels, as well as in trypanosomosis. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the concentrations of
sodium,
potassium,
calcium and
phosphorus in
blood serum of
rabbits experimentally infected with
Trypanosoma evansi. Materials,
Methods &
Results:
Twelve
adult female Oryctolagus cuniculus, weighing average 3.9 kg, were used.
Rabbits were divided into two groups, a
control group with six
animals (
rabbits 1-6) and an infected group with six
animals (
rabbits 7-12).
Animals from
trypanosome-infected groups were inoculated intraperitoneally with 0.5 mL of
rat blood containing 10 8
trypanosomes (Day 1).
Control group received physiological
solution by the same route.
Parasitemia was estimated daily for 118 days post- inoculation (PI) by microscopic examination of smears.
Blood samples for
hematology and evaluation of
serum minerals were collected at days 1, 5, 20, 35, 50, 80 and 118 PI.
Hematocrit was evaluated for
monitoring of the
disease. Inductively coupled
plasma optical emission
spectrometry (ICP OES) was used to
measure the levels of
sodium,
potassium,
calcium and
phosphorus. Hyporexia,
edema and
fever were clinical signs associated with change in the levels of the
minerals. A decrease in the number of
red blood cells was only observed at day 5 post-inoculation. Significant differences were observed among groups (P < 0.05) in
minerals levels.
Sodium and
calcium were reduced at days 35, 50, 80 and 118 PI. [...]