Morphometric study of red blood cells in non-descriptive cattle with respect to age and sex

Abstract

The present study was conducted to investigate the influence of age (calf, young and adult) and sex (female and castrated male) on the morphometry (mean length and mean breadth) of red blood cells (RBCs) of non-descriptive cattle. Blood samples were collected from each non-descriptive cattle with respect to age and sex by jugular venipuncture and collected in EDTA vials. Then, blood smears were prepared on grease-free microscopic slides then air-dried, fixed on methanol, and stained with Giemsa stain for morphometric study. The morphometric study was done with the help of the ocular micrometer and stage micrometer under 40X objective. Since there was no previous report on comparative morphometrical analyses of castrated males and female ND cattle of Odisha, an attempt has been taken to undertake this particular study. For both mean length and breadth, no significant difference was there among the different age groups of female cattle. Highly significant differences (p < 0.001) were observed between the mean length of RBCs of male calves with young castrated males and adult males. For mean breadth of RBCs, a highly significant difference (p < 0.01) was there between the male calves and male adults. A highly significant difference (p < 0.01) was there between the mean length of RBCs of the male calves with the mean length of RBCs of the young females. Therefore, age and sex have a profound effect on the morphometry of RBCs in non-descriptive cattle. Therefore, careful attention must be done in studying and interpretation of anemic conditions on the basis of size.