Effects of age and sex on serum proteins, urea nitrogen and transaminase concentrations in Ethiopian highland sheep

Investigates the influence of age and sex on the serum concentrations of total protein(TP), immunoglobulin(LG), blood urea nitrogen(BUN), aspartate aminotransferase(AST), and alanine amino-transferase(ALT) in apparently healthy sheep raised on the Ethiopian highlands; the results shows that males had significantly (P<0.05) higher TP concentrations than females, that one to two-months-old sheep had significantly lower TP (P<0.05) and lg (P<0.01) concentrations than other age groups. In sheep above 4 months of age, males had significantly (P<0.01) higher lg concentrations than females. Neither age nor sex significantly (P>0.05) effect on AST and ALT concentrations. These findings may aid the interpretation of values of the studied parameters which are obained during the process of clinical diagnosis.