The study evaluated the damage caused by Haemonchus contortus in terms of blood loss, faecal clearance of plasma protein and elevated serum enzyme activity in Sahabadi sheep. Apparently healthy Sahabadi sheep (n = 15) were selected randomly based on phenotypic characteristics and divided into two groups; infected (n = 8) and uninfected control (n = 6) and one sheep was used as donor animal. Each animal of infected group were orally infected with 700 third stage larvae (L3) of H. contortus/kg body weight. Blood from all the fourteen animals were collected at weekly intervals starting from day one to 42 day post infection. Parameters studied were haemoglobin concentration (Hb), packed cell volume (PCV), total erythrocyte count (TEC), total serum protein, serum albumin, serum globulin, alkaline phosphatase, Alanine amino transferase and Aspartate amino transferase. Statistical analysis showed that significant decreases in Hb, PCV, TEC and serum protein concentration and significant increases in serum enzymes level in infected sheep compared to uninfected control. The present study concluded that experimental H. contortus infection caused disturbances to the haemopoietic system resulting anaemia and severe damage to abomasal mucosa resulting lower serum protein and higher enzyme activities.
Keywords: Haematology; Haemonchus; Serum enzymes; Serum protein; Sheep.