Sheeps coagulogram experimentally infected with Sarcocystis Tenella (Railliet, 1886) Moulé, 1886 (Apicomplexa: Sarcocystidae).

Abstract

Nine crossbred male and female sheeps were used in this study, ranging from four months to six years old, and raised at Itaguaí Municipality county (Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil). Those animals were identified and separated at random in three groups: not infected control (C) and infected experiments (low dosis - LD and high dosis - HD). Each group was formed by three sheeps, and the animals of the LD and HD groups were infected orally with com 2 x 103 e 15 x 103 sporulated sporocysts of Sarcocystis tenella, respectively. Blood samples were obtained by jugular vein puncture weekly (from zero to 35 days after infection - DAI) and fortnightly (from 35 to 80 DAI), in order to determine the partial tromboplastin time (PTT) and protrombin time (PT) making use commercial kits, while the coagulation time (CT) and the bleeding time (BT) were determined by the Lee-White and Duke methods, respectively. The observed values (lower and upper limits) were: CT (C and LD: five minutes and 30 seconds to seven minutes; HD: five minutes and 45 seconds to seven minutes); BT (C: two to four minutes; LD and HD: two to three minutes); PTT (C: 30 to 45 seconds; LD and HD: 30 to 40 seconds) and PT (C, LD and HD: 15 to 25 seconds). From these results we can conclude that the Sarcocystis tenella infection studied in this experiment caused no important alterations on CT, BT, PTT and PT values.