No abstract

Trypanosomiasis is of great interest to farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa. It is a disease that retards agricultural development in general and needs urgent atten ion. It has been noted that it causes aneamia in its host which often may lead to death. Many researches showed that dietary supplement can enhance trypanotolerance in various hosts. Diet is important in modulating the severity of its pathophysiological ef ects and can also influence the rate of recovery. Using a control diet (Diet 1)) was only chicks' mash. this research was conducted to determine the effect of moderate protein (mixture of 250 g of corn meal, 240 g of soyabean meal and 10 g of crayfish meal in chicks' marsh (Diet 2)), high dietary protein (mixture o 400 g o caseinogen and 300 g o soyabean meal in chicks' mash (Diet 3)) and high dietary carbohydrate (mixture of 400 g of dextrose and 300 g of corn meal in chicks' mash (Diet 4)) supplementat on on rodent trypanomias s. D et 1 was used to feed rats in Cage A Diet 2 was used to feed rats in Cage B Diet 3 was used to feed rats in Cage C while Diet 4 was used to feed rats in Cage D. At the end of the experiment, it was observed that rats fed with Diet 2 (moderate protein diet) had the highest and significantly different (P < 0 05) red blood cell count than other treatments. This indicated that adequate nutrition reduces the effect of trypanosome and hence trypanotolerance in rats since trypanosome is known to attack red blood cells and vascular endothelium.

Trypanosomiasis is a disease of agricultural interest in livestock. The research was therefore aimed at finding out if adequate nutrition would ameliorate reproductive disorder in trypanosomeinfected pregnant rats. Twenty female rats of 120 days old were used. They were kept 5 rats in each cage replicated three times. Four treatments diet each containing trypanotolerant 80 mg of Vitamin E and 0.3 mg of selenium (additives) were used. In Treatment 1, trypanosome infected reproducing female rats were fed Diet 1 (Control) comprising chick mash mixed with the additives. In Treatment 2, the rats were fed Diet 2 comprising dietary protein and carbohydrate mixed with the add tives In Treatment 3 the rats were fed Diet 3 made up of dietary protein and the additives. In Treatment 4, the rats were fed Diet 4 made o dietary carbohydrate and the additives The birth weight was measured and number of ratlets from each treatment was also counted to determine the effect of the diets on the birth. At the end of the experiment, it was observed that trypanosome-infected pregnant rats fed Diet 2 (with adequate concentrations of carbohydrate and protein) significantly (P < 0 05) had higher birth weight o offspring and multiple births than the rats fed with other treatments diets indicating tha adequate nutrition promoted reproduction in trypanosome-infected rats. ;i . , f .. f t