Assessment of Erythrocyte Osmotic Fragility in Cattle Due to Haemoprotozoan Diseases

The Erythrocyte Osmotic Fragility (EOF) in case of anaemic cattle mostly affected with haemolytic anaemia were evaluated in this study. As haemolytic anaemia is a consistent finding in different blood protozoan diseases like theileriosis and trypanosomiasis, determination of EOF in these cases shows the level of osmotic stress in the affected animals. The present study was also aimed to determine the influence of temperature, storage time and season on EOF in the anaemic cattle. The EOF was determined by a standard method using NaCl concentrations ranging from 0.1% to 0.9%. The result revealed a significant difference in percentage haemolysis recorded at NaCl concentrations of 0.2%, 0.3% & 0.4% respectively in cattle. The EOF value was at a higher level in the animals affected with theileriosis or trypanosomiasis in comparison to other anaemic cases. The result of present study could be used as a determinant of osmotic stress in anaemic cattle. Keyword: erythrocyte osmotic fragility, haemolytic anaemia, theileriosis, trypanosomiasis