MORPHOLOGY AND QUANTIFICATION OF BLOOD WH ITE CELLS OF SAANEN GOATS INFECTED WITH THE CAPRINE ENCEPHALITIS ARTHRITIS VIRUS, IN PARANA STATE, BRAZIL

This work was carried out with the purpose of studying the possible le ucocitary alterations of the Caprine Encephalitis Arthritis (CAE). 40 goats (20 seronegative and 20 seropositive) were used for the morpholo gical and quantitative analyses of the blood white cells. The data obt ained were analyzed by the normal approximation (Z) of the binomial te st (non-parametric) for difference of two proportions and Student's t test In relation to the morphology and quantification of white cells, the mean number of leucocytes/mm(3) in the seropositive and seronegati ve goats was 12247.5+/-5539.2 and 17122.5+/-3992.2, respectively, so t hat the ratio of seropositive animals with number of leucocytes/mm(3) under the mean was greater than that found in the seronegative. In the differential countings it was found that the seronegative goats had n ear 35.5%+/-8.64 neutrophiles, 0%+/-0 basophiles, 62.35%+/-8.59 limpho cytes, 1.15%+/-0.93 monocytes and 1%+/-0.65 eosinophiles, while the co ntaminated animals had near 40.25%+/-12.86 neutrophiles, 0.05%+/-0.22 basophiles, 57%+/-13.34 limphocytes, 0.95%+/-0.60 monocytes and 1.75%/-1.48 eosinophiles. When comparing the ratio of seronegative and sero positive goats in which the frequencies of the various types of cells were under, above or between the confidence interval, only the eosinop hiles showed a estatistically significant difference. Morphologically the white cells didn't show alterations, either in the seropositive or in the seronegative goats.