The Influence of Different Levels of Dietary Energy on Complement Levelsin Trypanosoma congolense infected West African Dwarf goats .

Thirty six healthy WAD goats, divided into three groups A, B and C of twelve each with eight infected and four controls were placed respectively on low -2426.74kcal/kg, medium -2548.57kca/kg and high-2670.40kcal/kg levels of dietary energy but isonitrogenous feed and subsequently infected with a virulent strain of Trypanosoma congolense. The influence different levels of dietary energy on serum complement C3,total and alternative haemolytic complement parameters were evaluated up to 5 weeks post infection (p.i). The respective decline in levels of these complement system parameters were significant (P<0.05) and more pronounced in group A than B and C. There were highly significant decline (P<0.001) in complement system values of infected goats in groups A, B and C when compared with pre-infection values (C3, THC and AHC) while infected groups A, B and C were significantly different (P<0.05) to one another in values which worsened with decreasing levels of dietary energy and this indicated that dietary energy ameliorates and influences the hypo-complementaemia observed during the course of experimental trypanosomosis in goats.