BONE MINERALIZATION STATUS OF INDIGENOUS GOATS IN ZIMBABWE

Selected bone tissues from the ribs and distal metacarpals of thirty c linically healthy indigenous small East African goats in Chinamora com munal lands, Zimbabwe, were examined histologically, histomorphometric ally and chemically for mineralization, and compared to corresponding tissues from six goats receiving commercial supplementary feed, Histol ogical examination showed longer and wider seams of unmineralized bone (osteoid) covering the trabeculae in communal land goats. The volume of osteoid as a percent of total area in the ribs (2.42 versus 0.60) a nd metacarpals (3.21 versus 0.80), the percentage osteoid of the total volume of bone in the ribs (10.03 versus 2.85) and metacarpals (6.13 versus 2.96), and the percentage of trabecular surface covered with os teoid seams in the ribs (51.55 versus 27.88) and metacarpals (49.31 ve rsus 15.55) were all higher (P < 0.001) in communal land goats than in control goats, The indigenous Zimbabwean goats also had lower calcium (P < 0.001) in the rib (5.17 versus 5.63) and metacarpal bone (5.92 v ersus 6.23 mmol g bone(-1)) and lower phosphorus amount (P < 0.05) in the rib (3.22 versus 3.33) as determined by chemical analysis. These f indings indicate that in clinically healthy indigenous Zimbabwean goat s bone mineralization is disturbed severely, involving a low amount of phosphorus.