Electrophoretic Profile of Serum Protein Fractions From Sheep Naturally Infected With Babesia Ovis

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the alterations of the serum protein electrophoretic profile in sheep babesiosis. For that, blood sera were sampled from 20 clinically healthy without protozoon Akkaraman sheep, 1.5 to 2.0 years old, stemming from the Van region (Turkey) in one hand and from 36 Akkaraman sheep, naturally infected with B. ovis and with clinical signs before and 5 days after anti-parasitic treatment in the other hand and were analyzed by cellulose acetate electrophoresis. The total proteinemia (P < 0.01) as well as the concentrations of all serum protein fractions (albumin, alpha(1)-, beta-, gamma-globulins and particularly alpha(2)-globulins, P < 0.05 to P < 0.001) were dramatically decreased in diseased animals before treatment compared to controls. By contrast, the total protein concentrations and the absolute globulin concentrations significantly increased 5 days after treatment (except for the alpha(1)-globulin concentrations) but they remained weakly below the control values. Furthermore, the ratio A/G significantly increased in parallel. These results suggest that B. ovis infection has induced an intense proteolysis of the circulating proteins probably coupled to withdraw of liver protein synthesis and dehydratation which was alleviated since parasite eradication.