The effect of melarsenoxyde cysteamine hydrochloride (Cymelarsan^®) on haematological changes in one humped camels (Camelus dromedarius) experimentally infected with Trypanosoma evansi

A study was conducted to determine the effect of melarsenoxyde cysteamine hydrochloride (Cymelarsan^®) on the haematological changes in one humped camels (Camelus dromedarius) experimentally infected with a field strain (CT/29) of Trypanosoma evansi. Twenty camels of both sexes aged between 1 to 3 years and weighing between 160 and 400 kg were randomly dived into 6 groups (A – D) of five each. group A was infected with 0.5ml of blood containing x103/μl of T. evansi and treated with Cymelarsan^® by day 20 post-infection (p.i.) at the peak of parasitaemia (210.2 ± 1.81). Group B and C were infected and uninfected controls, respectively while group D was uninfected but treated with Cymelarsan^®. From day 4 (p.i.) packed cell volume (PCV), red blood cell (RBC), haemoglobin concentration (Hb), white blood cell (WBC), absolute lymphocytes, neutrophils and platelets counts decreased significantly (p<0.05) in an inverse relationship with parasitaemia. On the other hand, monocytosis was consistent while reticulocytosis occurred by days 16 and 36 (p.i.). The Mean corpuscular volume (MCV) decreased significantly (p<0.05) from day 24 (pi.). The erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), mean corpuscular haemoglobin (MCH) and mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration (MCHC) increased significantly (p<0.05) from day 4 (p.i.). These changes were however modulated to their pre-infection values in group A, following treatment with Cymelarsan^®.