Rate of detection of erythrocytes with micronuclei in peripheral blood of rabbits in spontaneous coccidiosis

Abstract

Coccidiosis is the most common disease in rabbits, causing great economic damage in rabbit farming. The aim of this work was to study the effect of coccidia on the parameters of the micronucleus test, since the authors did not come across data on the study of the mutagenic effect of Eimeria metabolites on the chromosomal apparatus of somatic cells in rabbits in the literature. For the experiment, 4 groups of rabbits, 10 heads each, with high, medium, low intensity of invasion (II) by oocysts of coccidia and healthy animals were formed. In experimental and control rabbits, blood was taken from the marginal ear vein, smears were prepared and stained with Giemsa dye. To carry out the micronucleus test, microscopy of blood preparations was performed and the frequency of occurrence of erythrocytes with micronuclei was calculated. It was found that in rabbits with low IS, the frequency of occurrence of erythrocytes with micronuclei was 1.49 + 0.10, which was 1.6 times higher than that of the control group (p <0.001). In the group of rabbits with medium IS, the frequency of appearance of erythrocytes with micronuclei was 2.3 times higher than in the control group (p <0.001) and was 2.15 + 0.09. The frequency of occurrence of erythrocytes with micronuclei in the group with high IS exceeded the control indicator by 3.1 times and amounted to 2.88 + 0.13 ‰. According to the results of laboratory studies, it was found that the change in the frequency of occurrence of erythrocytes with micronuclei in the peripheral blood of rabbits depends on the degree of invasion by eimeria, thereby proving the mutagenic effect of eimeria metabolites on the chromosomal apparatus of the host somatic cells.