Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-8ctnn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-28T17:24:04.706Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

An evaluation of food intake, digestive physiology and live-weight changes in N'dama and Gobra Zebu bulls following experimental Trypanosoma congolense infection

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 September 2010

O. O. Akinbamijo ,
J. J. Bennison ,
D. L. Romney ,
G. J. Wassink ,
J. Jaitner ,
D. J. Clifford  and
L. Dempfle
O. O. Akinbamijo
Affiliation:
International Trypanotolerance Centre, PMB 14, Banjul, The Gambia
J. J. Bennison
Affiliation:
Livestock Section, Natural Resources Institute, Central Avenue, Chatham Maritime, Kent ME4 4TB
D. L. Romney
Affiliation:
Livestock Section, Natural Resources Institute, Central Avenue, Chatham Maritime, Kent ME4 4TB
G. J. Wassink
Affiliation:
University of Glasgow Veterinary School, Department of Veterinary Physiology, Bearsden Road, Glasgow G61 1QH
J. Jaitner
Affiliation:
International Trypanotolerance Centre, PMB 14, Banjul, The Gambia
D. J. Clifford
Affiliation:
International Trypanotolerance Centre, PMB 14, Banjul, The Gambia
L. Dempfle
Affiliation:
International Trypanotolerance Centre, PMB 14, Banjul, The Gambia
Get access

Abstract

The effects of experimental Trypanosoma congolense infection on the digestive physiology and nutrient utilization in Gobra zebu and N'Dama cattle were examined in a 16-week trial. A pair-feeding procedure permitted examination of the effects of both food intake and trypanosomosis infection. Twenty Gobra and 16 N'dama bulls aged between 1 and 2 years were paired on a live-weight basis within each breed. One of each pair was chosen at random to serve as an uninfected control while the other was inoculated intradermally with 104 T. congolense in mice blood in the 6th week of the experiment. Packed cell volume and parasitaemia data were collected weekly throughout the trial. Total dry-matter intake (TDMI) and live-weight changes were measured weekly in all animals during the 16-week trial. Rate of passage (RoP) and dry matter digestibility were evaluated before and after infection.

While infection significantly depressed TDMI in both breeds (P < 0·05), neither infection nor breed affected the RoP and the apparent digestibility of the dry matter. Significant changes in live weight attributable solely to the infection were observed in both breeds. Loss of body weight was more severe (P < 0·05) in infected Gobra bulls compared with N'dama bulls possibly implying a superior efficiency of nutrient utilization by the N'dama during infection. In the course of the trial, one N'dama and three Gobra bulls that presented severe clinical symptoms of trypanosomosis were treated and withdrawn from the experiment along with their pair-fed controls.

In conclusion, the RoP and the digestive efficiency were not affected by infection and breed differences. Also, the trypanotolerance mechanism does not seem to be affected by anorexia but rather by the ability to conserve body reserves during infection.

Keywords

body weightcattledigestibilityfood intaketrypanotolerance
Type
Research Article
Information
Animal Science , Volume 65 , Issue 2 , October 1997 , pp. 151 - 158
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 1997

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Agricultural Research Council. 1980. Nutrient requirements of ruminant livestock. Commonwealth Agricultural Bureaux, Slough.Google Scholar
Agyemang, K., Dwinger, R. H., Touray, B. N., Jeannin, P., Fofana, D. and Grieve, A. S. 1990. Effects of nutrition on degree of anaemia and liveweight changes in N'Dama cattle infected with trypanosomes. Livestock Production Science 26: 39–51.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Akinbamijo, O. O. 1994. The effect of parasitism on nutrient metabolism and productivity in small ruminants. Ph.D. thesis, Wageningen Agricultural University.Google Scholar
Akinbamijo, O. O., Hamminga, B. J., Wensing, T., Brouwer, B. O., Tolkamp, B. J. and Zwart, D. 1992. The effect of T. vivax infection in West African Dwarf goats on nutrient metabolism. Veterinary Quarterly 14:95–100.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Akol, G. W. O., Authie, E., Pinder, M., Moloo, S. K., Roelants, G. E. and Murray, M. 1986. Susceptibility and immune responses of zebu and taurine cattle of West Africa to infection with Trypanosoma congolense transmitted by Glossina morsitans centralis. Veterinary Immunology and Immunopathology 11:361–373.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Anene, B. M., Chime, A. B. and Anika, S. M. 1991. The production performance of imported Friesian cattle under heavy Trypanosoma challenge in a rain forest zone of Nigeria. British Veterinary Journal 147: 275–282.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Anosa, V. O. and Isoun, T. T. 1980. Haematological studies on Trypanosoma vivax infections of goats and intact and splenectomised sheep. Journal of Comparative Pathology 90: 155–168.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Association of Official Analytical Chemists. 1980. Official methods of analysis 12th edition. AOAC, Washington, DC.Google Scholar
Desowitz, R. S. 1959. Studies on immunity and host-parasite relationships. I. The immunological response of resistant and susceptible breeds of cattle to typanosomal challenge. Annals of Tropical Medicine and Parasitology 53: 293–313.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dhanoa, M. S., Siddons, R. C, France, J. and Gale, D. L. 1985. A multicompartmental model to describe marker excretion patterns in ruminant faeces. British journal of Nutrition 53:663–671.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Greig, W. A. and Mclntyre, W. I. M. 1979. Diurnal variation in rectal temperature of N'Dama cattle in the Gambia. British Veterinary journal 135:113–118.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Little, D. A., Dwinger, R. H., Clifford, D. J., Grieve, A. S., Kora, S. and Bojang, M. 1990. Effect of nutritional level and body condition on susceptibility of N'Dama cattle to Trypanosoma congolense infection in the Gambia. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society 49: 209 A.Google Scholar
Murray, M. 1988. Trypanotolerance, its criteria and genetic and environmental influences. In ILCA/ILRAD. Livestock production in tsetse affected areas of Africa. Proceedings of a meeting held in Nairobi, Kenya, 23-27 Nov. 1987, p. 133–151.Google Scholar
Murray, M., Clifford, D. J., Gettingby, G., Snow, W. F. and Mclntyre, W. I. M. 1981. Susceptibility to African trypanosomiasis of N'Dama and Zebu cattle in an area of Glossina morsitans submorsitans challenge. Veterinary Record 109: 503–510.Google Scholar
Murray, M. and Dexter, T. M. 1988. Anaemia in bovine African trypanosomiasis. A review. Acta Tropica 45: 389–432.Google ScholarPubMed
Murray, M., Morrison, R. E. and Whitelaw, D. D. 1982. Susceptibility to trypanosomiasis: trypanotolerance. In Advances in parasitology (ed. Baker, J. R. and Muller, R.), pp. 1–67. Academic Press, New York.Google Scholar
Murray, M., Murray, P. K. and Mclntyre, W. I. M. 1977. An improved parasitological technique for the diagnosis of African trypanosomiasis. Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 71:325–326.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Murray, M., Trail, J. C. M., Turner, D. and Wissocq, Y. 1983. Livestock productivity and trypanotolerance: network training manual. International Livestock Centre for Africa, Addis Ababa.Google Scholar
Paling, R. W., Moloo, S. K., Scott, J. R., Gettinby, G., McOdimba, F. A. and Murray, M. 1991. Susceptibility of N'Dama and Boran cattle to sequential challenges with tsetse transmitted clones of Trypanosoma congolense. Parasite Immunology 13: 427–445.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Romney, D. L., N'Jie, A., Clifford, D. J., Holmes, P. H., Richard, D. and Gill, M. 1997. Use of groundnut hay and groundnut cake as supplements to Gambian N'Dama heifers exposed to trypanosomiasis. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge In press.Google Scholar
Silayo, R. S., Mamman, M., Moloo, S. K., Aliu, Y. O., Gray, M. A. and Peregrine, A. S. 1992. Response of Trypanosoma congolense in goats to single and double treatment with diminazene aceturate. Research in Veterinary Science 53: 98–105.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Statistical Analysis Systems Institute. 1994. User's guide: statistics, version 6.1. SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC.Google Scholar
Stephen, L. E. 1986. Trypanosomiasis — a veterinary perspective. Pergamon Press, Oxford.Google Scholar
Udén, P., Colucci, P. E. and Van Soest, P. J. 1980. Investigation of chromium, cerium and cobalt as markers in digesta. Rate of passage studies. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture 31:625–632.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Veenendaal, G. H. and Miert, A. S. J. P. A. M. van. 1979. Fever and ruminal stasis, role of humoral mediators. Annales de Recherches Vétérinaires 10:202–204.Google ScholarPubMed
Verstegen, M. W. A., Zwart, D., Hel, W. van der, Brouwer, B. O. and Wensing, T. 1991. Effect of Trypanosoma vivax infection on energy and nitrogen metabolism of West African Dwarf goats. Journal of Animal Science 69:1667–1677.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wassink, G. J., Momoh, J. S., Zwart, D. and Wensing, T. 1993. The relationship between decrease in feed intake and infection with Trypanosoma congolense and T. vivax in West African Dwarf goats. Veterinary Quarterly 15: 5–9.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zwart, D. 1989. Aspects of comparative pathology and pathogenesis of trypanosomal infections in Africa. Annales de la Societe Beige de Medecine Tropicaux 69: 105–112Google ScholarPubMed
Zwart, D., Brouwer, B. O., Hel, W. van der, Akker, H. N. van den and Verstegen, M. W. A. 1991. Effect of Trypanosoma vivax infection on body temperature, feed intake, and metabolic rate of West African Dwarf goats. Journal of Animal Science 69:3780–3788.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed