The Diagnostic Value of Plasma Electrolytes and Enzymes in Gastrointestinal Haemorrhagic Parasitism: Studies in Goats Infected with Schistosoma bovis
Keywords:
Diagnosis, Clinical Chemistry, Parasitology, SchistosomosisAbstract
The effects of continuous gastrointestinal haemorrhages due to parasites on ·plasma electrolytes and enzymes were evaluated for testing their complementary or supplementary diagnostic value to faecal egg count, haematocrit, erythrocyte counts and haemoglobin determinations. Plasma Ca, Mg, P, Na and K, total serum proteins, alkaline phosphatase, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase and creatinine kinase were determined through an auto analyser in 36 Schistosoma bovis infected, 36 uninfected West African Dwarf and 138 Danish Landrace goats free from infection. Infected goats developed diarrhoea within six weeks, and 61.1% were hypocalcaemic, with 94.4% specificity. Alkaline phosphatase, alanine aminotransferase, creatinine kinase activities were significantly lowered in 75%, 63.9% and 61.1% infected goats compared with 11.1%, 19.4% and 2.3% non-infected controls respectively. The specificities for the tests were 88.9, 80.6 and 86.1% respectively. There were hypomagnesaemia, hypophosphataemia, hyponatraemia, hypoglycaemia and hyperproteinaemia of low magnitudes. Creatinine, bilirubin, urea nitrogen, potassium and aspartate aminotransferase were not significantly different in infected and control goats. Plasma Ca, Na, proteins and enzymes were found to be valuable supplementary tests in detection of animals with chronic gastrointestinal haemorrhages, particularly when reference values are known
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