The effect of L-thyroxine on the anaemia response in Trypanosoma congolense infected rabbits.
View/ Open
Date
1995Author
Lomo, P O
Makawiti, D W
Konji, V N
Type
ArticleLanguage
enMetadata
Show full item recordAbstract
The development of anaemia is a major pathological manifestation in chronic trypanosomosis. The anaemia in African trypanosomosis coincides with a marked decrease in plasma concentration of both thyroxine (T4) and 3,5,3' triiodothyronine (T3). To evaluate the effect of trypanosome-induced hypothyroidism on the development of anaemia, sexually mature white New Zealand rabbits were used. Three groups were set up, each of ten rabbits: one group was infected with Trypanosoma congolense; the second group was infected but given replacement doses of thyroxine (treated); the third group was not infected. Small volumes of blood were collected for the determination of parasitaemia and packed cell volume (PCV). The concentrations of T3 and T4 were measured in plasma by radioimmunoassay. The decrease in PCV correlated closely (y = -0.38x + 15.2; r = 0.82, P = 0.001) with the intensity and duration of parasitaemia. The critical PCV value was 0.15 11-1 with a peak parasitaemia of approximately 5 x 10(6) trypanosomes ml-1 of blood. There was a significant correlation between the plasma T3 and PCV (y = 0.049x + 0.57; r = 0.66, P = 0.020). There was also a good positive correlation between T4 and PCV (y = 14.5 + 3.03; r = 0.95, P < 0.001) in the infected untreated group. The PCV levels were significantly different among the three groups of animals (P < 0.05). The infected-treated animals sustained longer periods of infection than the infected and untreated ones. The sustained physiological level of bioactive thyroid hormones T3 and T4 significantly arrested the decline in PCV as the disease progressed.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
URI
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7571327http://erepository.uonbi.ac.ke:8080/xmlui/handle/123456789/30286
Citation
Vet Parasitol. 1995 Jun;58(3):227-34.Publisher
Department of Biochemistry, University of Nairobi
Collections
- Faculty of Health Sciences (FHS) [10378]