Comparative Immune Response of Indigenous Breeds and Exotic Crossbreeds of Nigerian Zebu Cattle to Trypanosoma brucei Infection in the Tsetse Belt of Kogi State

This study compares the immunological responses of indigenous White Fulani zebu cattle and Friesian-zebu crossbreeds to experimental Trypanosoma brucei infection in the tsetse-infested zone of Kogi State, North Central Nigeria. Indigenous trypanotolerant breeds are economically critical in the tsetse belt, but the immunological mechanisms underlying differential resistance in Nigerian breeds have not been elucidated at the cellular and humoral level in controlled challenge studies. Thirty White Fulani and 30 Friesian-zebu crossbreeds were experimentally infected with a characterised T. brucei Brucei Nigerian isolate. Parasitaemia, packed cell volume, haemoglobin, total white blood cell count, differential counts, serum IgM and IgG titres, and pro-inflammatory cytokine (TNF-alpha, IFN-gamma, IL-10) concentrations were monitored at weekly intervals for 16 weeks. Treatment with diminazene aceturate was administered at week 12 to assess clearance efficiency. White Fulani cattle maintained significantly lower peak parasitaemia, smaller anaemia-related PCV decline, and higher IFN-gamma responses than crossbreeds. Crossbred animals required treatment on average three weeks earlier. Post-treatment relapse rate was 30 percent in crossbreeds and 10 percent in White Fulani. The study identifies IFN-gamma and activated macrophage-mediated responses as the primary distinguishing immunological features of trypanotolerancein Nigerian White Fulani cattle and provides immunological benchmarks for selective breeding and vaccine development. Keywords: trypanotolerance, White Fulani cattle, Trypanosoma brucei, immune response, Kogi State.