Pathophysiology of Trypanosoma congolense infection in two breeds of sheep, Scottish blackface and Finn Dorset.

The pathophysiology of Trypanosoma congolense infection was studied in two breeds of sheep, the Scottish Blackface (SB) and Finn Dorset (FD), which were known from previous studies to differ significantly in their susceptibility to haemonchosis, in which anaemia is also the primary pathophysiological effect. It was found that infected SB and FD lambs developed similar intensities of parasitaemia. However, infected SB lambs developed a higher degree of anaemia, more severe thrombocytopaenia and hypoalbuminaemia than infected FD. Following infection, the concentrations of plasma cholesterol, serum phospholipids and total lipids decreased. The decline in these lipid components appeared to be greater in infected SB than in infected FD lambs.