AUTOERYHROPHAGOVYTOSIS BY PERIPHERAL BLOOD MONOCYTES IN RUMINANTS WITH HAEMOPROTOZOAN DISEASES

Abstract

This study investigated the incidence of autoerythrophagocytosis by peripheral blood monocytes (PBM) in 40 cattle, 30 sheep and 30 goats with or without haemaprotozoan diseases brought for slaughter at the Bodija Cattle Market, Ibadan, between the months of March to June 1997 and October to December, 1998. Standard parasitological and haematological procedures were used to determine haemoparasitic infections and the degree and types of anaemia developed by the animals. A modified plasmlgelatin coated flask method was used to isolate PBM from the blood and their sizes and eqthrophagocytic activities determined. Statistical comparisons were made between and withininfected and non-infected species of animals. Trypanosomiasis, anaplasmosis and their mixed infections resulted in varying degree of anaemia, increase in mean PBM diameters and erykphagocytic activities. Between 6 to 28% of PMB of the infected animals were phagocytic, while between 30-85O/0 increases in PBM size were recorded in the infected animals compared with the non-infected ones. PBM isolated from infected animals were found to have engulged between 1 to 5 erythrocytes, most of which were parasitized, especially with Anaplasma ovis.