Abstract
The current study aimed to establish reference values for pregnant Egyptian buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis) during the second trimester of pregnancy. All animals included in the study were non-lactating. The International Federation of Clinical Chemistry stated that at least 120 values were necessary to obtain reliable estimates for reference values. A total number of 134 clinically healthy midterm pregnant (3.5-7.0 months) buffaloes (3-8 years old) were included in this study. Animals were examined at the buffalo farms that belonged to the Assiut Governorate in the middle of Egypt. Three types of samples were collected: serum samples for biochemical analysis, whole blood samples for haematological analysis and faecal samples for parasitological examination. Animals that fit the inclusion criteria were included in this study. Biochemical analysis included serum total proteins, albumin, total globulins, α-, β- and γ-globulin levels, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, gamma glutamyl transferase, creatine phosphokinase and lactate dehydrogenase activities, serum creatinine, blood urea nitrogen, total bilirubin, direct bilirubin, indirect bilirubin, sodium, potassium, chloride, magnesium, calcium, phosphorus, copper, zinc, iron, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein, low-density lipoprotein, very low density lipoprotein and glucose levels. In addition, 20 haematological variables were measured. The 95% reference intervals were calculated by removing the upper and lower 2.5% of the intervals for each serum biochemical constituent to give 2.5 and 97.5 percentiles. Confidence intervals were calculated for each reference limit. Reference values from the current study were compared with the established values for cows. The current study is the first study to established reference values for the blood biochemical and haematological constituents in non-lactating buffaloes during the second trimester of pregnancy.