The influence of sex on the haematological values of apparently healthy adult Nigerian Sahel goats

Abstract

Blood samples were collected from fifty apparently healthy adult Sahel goats, twenty five each of male and female in Maiduguri to assess the influence of sex on their haematology. The red blood cell (RBC) counts, white blood cell (WBC) counts, haemoglobin (Hb) concentration, packed cell volume (PCV), platelet counts, neutrophils, eosinophils, lymphocytes, monocytes and basophils counts were determined. The mean corpuscular volume (MCV), the mean corpuscular haemoglobin (MCH) and mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration (MCHC) were also determined. The RBC, WBC, MCH and neutrophil values were higher (P<0.05) in female than male goats. However, the platelet, MCV, eosinophil and monocyte values were higher (P<0.05) in male than female goats. The PCV, Hb, MCHC, lymphocytes and basophil values were comparable (P>0.05) in both sexes. The variations may be due to breed idiosyncrasies or inherent sex differences among male and female Sahel goats. The haematological values obtained in this study were significant, but did not differ from the normal values for caprine species. In conclusion, sex significantly influenced the RBC, WBC, MCV, MCH, platelet, neutrophil, eosinophil and monocyte values in this study.Keywords: Haemogram, Maiduguri, Nigeria, Sahel Goats, Sex