Pathological findings, clinical signs and weight gain of naturally infected rabbits by Trypanosoma evansi

Abstract

The study aimed to evaluate pathological findings, clinical signs and weight gain of naturally infected rabbits by Trypanosoma evansi. Nine male rabbits from two to six-month-old were divided into three groups (A, B, C) with three animals each. Rabbits from groups A and B were infected with T. evansi and evaluated daily through peripheral blood smears. Group C was used as control and the animals were inoculated with saline buffer only. The animals were sacrificed after 120 DPI. Irregular parasitemic peaks ranging from 0 to 5 trypomastigotes/field until 89 DPI, disappearing from circulation blood after 90 DPI. No macroscopically and microscopically alterations were observed in this study although the animals showed clinical signs as anorexia, apathy, pale mucosa and edema of the ears and eyelids when the number of protozoa increased into circulation blood. The animals infected by T. evansi showed lower body weigh gain than animals from the control group. The results showed that infection by T. evansi in rabbits is associated with systemic alterations although the animals did not die due to the consequences of the disease.