Effects of Trypanosoma brucei Infection on Haematological Profile, Testosterone Level, and Oxidative Stress Status in Wistar Rat (Rattus norvegicus)

Abstract

Trypanosoma brucei brucei is associated with a number of disease conditions in cattle whichhas caused a huge loss to the agricultural sector. In this study, male Wistar rats wereexperimentally infected with T. b. brucei to observe changes in haematological profiles, serumtestosterone level, and oxidative stress in the testicles. Group I was not infected, group II and III were infected intraperitoneally with 0.75 x10⁶ and 1.0 x 10⁶ doses of T. b. bruceirespectively. Mean PCV, RBC, Hb, and MCV of group II and III decreased progressively, culminating in anaemia when compared with the control group. However, there wasasignificant (p<0.05) increase in total leucocyte count of group II and III. The testosterone level evaluated in serum using Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay showed a significantdecrease from group II to III. Still, the control group had the highest level of serumtestosterone. Biomarkers of oxidative stress, such as Malondialdehyde (MDA), significantlyincreased in the infected groups. At the same time, reduced Glutathione (GSH), Catalase(CAT) and Superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities were statistically reduced in the testiclesofexperimental animals. The result suggests that oxidative stress in testicles may be relatedtothe pathology in the testes of rats infected with the parasite.