title: Trypanosoma evansi: hematologic changes in experimentally infected cats.
abstract: This study aimed at evaluating hemogram and erythropoietic changes in cats experimentally infected with Trypanosoma evansi. Thirteen adult female non-breeding Felix catus were separated into two groups: seven animals were infected with 10(8) trypomastigotes each, and six animals were used as negative controls. Animals were kept in air-conditioned rooms and blood smears were performed daily for 49 days. Blood samples were collected from the jugular vein at days 0, 7, 21, 35 and 49 and stored in blood-collecting tubes containing anticoagulant. Bone marrow was collected from the proximal epiphysis of the right femur at days 14 and 42 post-inoculation (PI). Total erythrocyte count, hematocrit and hemoglobin showed statistical differences among groups from the seventh day PI onwards (P<0.05). The mean corpuscular volume and the mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration remained normal, characterizing a normocytic-normochromic anemia. Reticulocyte count increased in the infected group from the 21st day onwards, but remained near normal values suggesting a mild regenerative anemia. Moreover, the myeloid:erythroid ratio significantly reduced at day 42 PI, evidencing a bone marrow hematopoietic response. Based on these results we conclude that cats infected with T. evansi have normocytic, normochromic, regenerative anemia.
authors.affiliation: Veterinary Medicine, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, 97105-900, Santa Maria - RS, Brazil. aleksandro_ss@yahoo.com.br
authors.forename: Aleksandro Schafer
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Da Silva
authors.forename: Márcio Machado
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Costa
authors.forename: Patrícia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Wolkmer
authors.forename: Régis Adriel
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Zanette
authors.forename: Luciana
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Faccio
authors.forename: Lucas Trevisan
authors.initials: LT
authors.lastname: Gressler
authors.forename: Tagor Eduardo Andreolla
authors.initials: TE
authors.lastname: Dorneles
authors.forename: Janio Morais
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Santurio
authors.forename: Sonia Terezinha dos Anjos
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Lopes
authors.forename: Silvia Gonzalez
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Monteiro
mesh_terms: D000740:Anemia / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology*; D000818:Animals; D001853:Bone Marrow / Q000502:physiology; D002415:Cats; D004906:Erythrocyte Count; D004909:Erythrocyte Indices; D004920:Erythropoiesis; D005260:Female; D006400:Hematocrit; D006454:Hemoglobins / Q000032:analysis; D018512:Parasitemia / Q000097:blood*; D017701:Reticulocyte Count; D014352:Trypanosomiasis / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications*
chemical_list: D006454:Hemoglobins