Trypanosomosis is a protozoan infection of domestic and wild animals characterized by anaemia, however, the pathogenesis of trypanosomosis-induced anaemia is not fully understood. This study evaluated the possible roles of Tumour Necrosis Factor-alpha (TNF-α) in the pathogenesis of anaemia induced by Trypanosoma brucei in rabbits. Twelve adult rabbits of both sexes with mean weight of 2.1 ± 0.1kg were randomly assigned into two groups of six rabbits each. Group A rabbits were intraperitoneally (i.p) infected with blood containing 2 x 106/ml of T. brucei, while group B (control) rabbits were injected with one ml of normal saline i.p. Blood was collected from the ear vein before infection and weekly thereafter for six weeks post-infection (p.i), in order to determine the packed cell volume (PCV), haemoglobin (Hb) concentration, red blood cell (RBC) count, reticulocyte count (RC) and serum concentrations of TNF-α. The PCV, RBC count and Hb concentration were significantly (p
Key words: Anaemia, Rabbits, Pathogenesis, Trypanosomosis, Tumour Necrosis Factor-α
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