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(B) Note on the trypanosomocidal action of the serum and cerebrospinal fluid of cases of human trypanosomiasis treated with “205,” and on a strain of Trypanosoma rhodesiense
BY " B A Y E R
(B) SERUM
NOTE
ON AND
THE
205."
~89
TRYPANOSOMOCIDAL
CEREBROSPINAL
FLUID
TRYPANOSOMIASIS T R E A T E D
ACTION OF CASES
OF
THE
OF HUMAN
W I T H "205,"
AND ON A S T R A I N OF TRYPANOSOMA RHODESIENSE. RY (). M. WENYON. C.M.G., C.B.E.. M.B.. B.~( ~. ]VeHcolne B~tre~l~t of ~'~wnt/fie Re,~'e~trc]~.
W i t h the object of testing the trypanosomocidal properties of blood serum and cerebrospinal fluid of patients who had received intravenous injections of " 2 0 5 , " mice infected with Trypanosoma eqwiperdum were given intravenous injections of these fluids taken from some of the cases treated by Dr. MANSON-BAgR at varying intervals after a dose or" the drug had been adnfinistered. When taken a week after the intravenous injection of 1 gramme of "'205," 0'25 c.c. of the serum or cerebrospinal fluid of Case 2, described in his paper, w~s sufficient to rid the peripheral blood of mice of large infections. In all cases, however, the trypanosomes reappeared and the mice died. Cecebrospinal fluid taken from patients who were under observation for syphilis was quite inactive. If sermn and cerebrospinal fluid which were active when fresh, were kept in the ice chest for ten days (Cases 2 and 9), the trypanosomocidal power was los~. The serum ~nd cerebrospinal fluid taken from patient No. [, a week after an injection of 1 gramme of " 205," were quite inactive. It is possible that this result may be accounted for by the fact ~hat it was in this case ~h~t " 2 0 5 " fulled to have ~ny curative action. It n-fight be inferred from these very limited experiments that the intravenous injection of 1 gramme of " 2 0 5 " in man causes the formation of a trypanolytic substance in the blood and cerebrospinal fluid, ~nd that this substance is still present a week after the injection. The serum and cerebrospinal fluid of Case 9, referred to by Dr, MANSON-BAHR, were inoculated intraperitone~lly into four rats
390
THE TI~EATMENT OF HUMAN TP~YPANOSOMIASIS
on 19th June, 1921. All the animals became infected, and, though the trypanosomes were morphologically T. rhodesiense, the infection was of a more chronic type than is usual in rats inoculated with this trypanosome. The animals had large numbers of trypanosomes in the blood in six days and these increased in number for a few davs and then decreased. The two animals inoculated from the blood lived thirty-nine and forty-two days, while those inoculated from the cerebrospinal fluid lived for nearly two months. One of the strains isolated from the blood was passed through a series of rats in which the same irregularity was observed. In these, the number of trypanosomes reached a maximum in two to three weeks, and if the animals did not die at this time the trypanosomes diminished, in number and were often difficult to find in the blood. The series of animals survived the following periods in days :--39, 23, 30, 38, 40, 17, 8, 19, 12, 15, 23. The irregularity appears to be an unusual feature for T. rhodesiense infections.
(B) SERUM
NOTE
ON AND
THE
205."
~89
TRYPANOSOMOCIDAL
CEREBROSPINAL
FLUID
TRYPANOSOMIASIS T R E A T E D
ACTION OF CASES
OF
THE
OF HUMAN
W I T H "205,"
AND ON A S T R A I N OF TRYPANOSOMA RHODESIENSE. RY (). M. WENYON. C.M.G., C.B.E.. M.B.. B.~( ~. ]VeHcolne B~tre~l~t of ~'~wnt/fie Re,~'e~trc]~.
W i t h the object of testing the trypanosomocidal properties of blood serum and cerebrospinal fluid of patients who had received intravenous injections of " 2 0 5 , " mice infected with Trypanosoma eqwiperdum were given intravenous injections of these fluids taken from some of the cases treated by Dr. MANSON-BAgR at varying intervals after a dose or" the drug had been adnfinistered. When taken a week after the intravenous injection of 1 gramme of "'205," 0'25 c.c. of the serum or cerebrospinal fluid of Case 2, described in his paper, w~s sufficient to rid the peripheral blood of mice of large infections. In all cases, however, the trypanosomes reappeared and the mice died. Cecebrospinal fluid taken from patients who were under observation for syphilis was quite inactive. If sermn and cerebrospinal fluid which were active when fresh, were kept in the ice chest for ten days (Cases 2 and 9), the trypanosomocidal power was los~. The serum ~nd cerebrospinal fluid taken from patient No. [, a week after an injection of 1 gramme of " 205," were quite inactive. It is possible that this result may be accounted for by the fact ~hat it was in this case ~h~t " 2 0 5 " fulled to have ~ny curative action. It n-fight be inferred from these very limited experiments that the intravenous injection of 1 gramme of " 2 0 5 " in man causes the formation of a trypanolytic substance in the blood and cerebrospinal fluid, ~nd that this substance is still present a week after the injection. The serum and cerebrospinal fluid of Case 9, referred to by Dr, MANSON-BAHR, were inoculated intraperitone~lly into four rats
390
THE TI~EATMENT OF HUMAN TP~YPANOSOMIASIS
on 19th June, 1921. All the animals became infected, and, though the trypanosomes were morphologically T. rhodesiense, the infection was of a more chronic type than is usual in rats inoculated with this trypanosome. The animals had large numbers of trypanosomes in the blood in six days and these increased in number for a few davs and then decreased. The two animals inoculated from the blood lived thirty-nine and forty-two days, while those inoculated from the cerebrospinal fluid lived for nearly two months. One of the strains isolated from the blood was passed through a series of rats in which the same irregularity was observed. In these, the number of trypanosomes reached a maximum in two to three weeks, and if the animals did not die at this time the trypanosomes diminished, in number and were often difficult to find in the blood. The series of animals survived the following periods in days :--39, 23, 30, 38, 40, 17, 8, 19, 12, 15, 23. The irregularity appears to be an unusual feature for T. rhodesiense infections.