THE EFFECT OF THE QUALITY OF ROUGHAGE ON THE COURSE OF TRYPANOSOMA-VIVAX INFECTION IN WEST-AFRICAN DWARF GOATS - II - METABOLIC PROFILE, PACKED CELL-VOLUME, AND PATHOLOGY OF DISEASE
Jtp. Vandam et al., THE EFFECT OF THE QUALITY OF ROUGHAGE ON THE COURSE OF TRYPANOSOMA-VIVAX INFECTION IN WEST-AFRICAN DWARF GOATS - II - METABOLIC PROFILE, PACKED CELL-VOLUME, AND PATHOLOGY OF DISEASE, Livestock production science, 53(1), 1998, pp. 81-90
Effects of trypanosome infection and feed quality on the metabolism of
trypanotolerant West African Dwarf goats were measured. Goats were al
lotted to either a diet of lucerne pellets (Crude protein level = 172
g/kg DM; n = 14) or a diet of chopped grass straw (Crude protein level
= 68 g/kg DM; n = 15). Five animals per feed group served as controls
, and the other animals were infected with Trypanosoma vivax parasites
, Before and after infection, blood samples were taken weekly, and ana
lyzed for packed cell volume and parasitaemia, and for serum metabolit
es and hormone concentrations. Six weeks after infection, the goats we
re killed and post mortem analysis was carried out to study the pathol
ogy of disease. Infected animals showed reduced feed intake, increased
plasma nonesterified fatty acids concentration, and decreased serum i
nsulin concentration. Liver triacylglycerol concentration was increase
d in all grass straw fed animals, and some infected goats fed the luce
rne feed. Infection drastically reduced serum concentration of thyroxi
ne and triiodothyronine. Infection caused an increased weight of the l
iver and prescapular lymph nodes in animals from both feed treatments,
but lymph nodes were more enlarged in infected animals fed lucerne. P
athological findings were typical for T. vivax infection in goats, irr
espective of feed type. Packed cell volume was reduced by infection in
both feed groups to values below 20 percentage points. Serum gamma-gl
obulin concentration was increased more in infected animals, fed lucer
ne than those fed grass straw. It was concluded, that by maintaining a
feed with a higher protein level, the nutritional status of infected
West African Dwarf goats was improved. This was reflected in the serum
concentrations of some metabolites and hormones, However, in general,
no indications of an interaction between infection and feed type with
respect to nutritional status were found. Differences in reed quality
did not change the nature and severity of pathological variables, mea
sured at autopsy after 6 weeks of infection. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science
B.V.