Faculty of Veterinary Medicine University of Zagreb
Abstract
Vervet monkeys (Cercopithecus aethiops) were inoculated with two different strains of T. brucei gambiense in order to determine their clinical effects. Both strains of parasite behaved alike in the monkeys, producing a virulent disease course resulting in their death 10 to 15 weeks post-infection (PI). Clinical features exhibited in the monkeys included pyrexia, progressive mass loss, mild anaemia, oedema of hind quarters and central nervous system (CNS), disturbances which did not occur until week 8 PI, corresponding to onset of late-stage sleeping sickness in man. Clinical changes in the late stage of the infection in monkeys included somnolence, ataxia and uncontrolled shaking of the head. A significant drop in the packed cell volume (PCV) and body mass occurred in the late stage of the disease. It was concluded that a relationship exists between CNS pathology, PCV and mass loss in Gambian trypanosomosis. The course of infection observed in the monkeys also suggests that many strains of T. b. gambiense may be more virulent in both man and animals than has hitherto been known
