Effects of Ascaridia galli infection on body weight, packed cell volume, haemoglobin level and total plasma protein of experimentally infected Domesti
A study on the effects of Ascaridia galli infection on the body weight, packed cell volume, haemoglobin level and total plasma protein of experimentally infected Domestic Pigeons was carried out at the postgraduate laboratory of the department of Biological Sciences, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria. Two groups (A and B) made up of 30 birds each, were used. Birds in group A were each infected with a 700 dose of infective eggs of A. galli while birds in group B served as controls. Clinical signs observed in the infected birds were blood-tinged diarrhoea, loss of appetite, birds looking dropsy, head nodding downwards, ruffled feathers, shivering and emaciation. At the termination of the experiment, 12 weeks after infection, a significant difference in body weight (P <0.05) was observed over the weeks in group A, and not in group B. Although there were differences in the values of the packed cell volume (PCV), haemoglobin level (Hb) and total plasma proteins over the weeks within the infected and control groups, these differences were not statistically significant, in both groups (P>0.05). The implications of these findings are discussed.
