- Email: [email protected]
Experimental malaria control and demography
CORRESPONDENCE
885
TRIMETHOPRIMAND SULPHAMETHOXAZOLEIN TR YPANOSOMA CRUZI INFECTION SIR,--There is at present no effective treatment for Trypanosoma cruzi infection. The nitrofurans are being tried with some success (CANQADO, 1968), and continued search is being made for effective drugs. The combination of trimethoprim and sulphamethoxazole has been used with good results in bacterial infections (REEVES et al., 1969; GRONEBERG et al., 1969) and malaria (MODELL, 1968; ROTHE et al., 1969). We made a small trial to see if this combination had any beneficial effect on experimental T. cruzi infection in CF1 mice. 20 C F I mice, 15 g. in weight, were given intraperitoneally 5 × 104 blood forms of T. cruzi, Peru strain, i0 of them were given I mg. of trimethoprim and 5 mg. of sulphamethoxazole daily by mouth via a small stomach tube. Treatment was begun on the day of infection. 10 other mice received the drugs alone without the 7". cruzi inoculation.
Mean survival in days ± SD
No. of mice 20
Treatment and T. cruzi
9-7 ± 1'2
10
T. cruzi only
9 ' 9 ± 0"7
10
Treatment only
None died
There was no delay in onset of parasitaemia in the treated group, and no significant difference in the level of parasitaemia in the two groups. It is evident that with this dose there was no beneficial effect. We are etc., S. SEA~ P. D. MARSDEN London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, W.C.1. 10 September, 1969.
REFERENCES CANQADO, J. R. (1968). Doenfa de Chagas, 517, Belo Horizonte, Brasil. GRONEBERG, R. N. & KOLBE, R. (1969). Br. reed. J., 1, 545. MODELL, W. (1968). Science, 162, 1312. REEVES, D. S., FRIERS, M. C., PURSELL,R. E. & BRUMFITT,W. (1969). Br. reed. ft., 1, 541. ROTHE, W. E., JACOBS, D. P. & WALTER, W. (3". (1969). Am. ft. trop. Med. Hyg., 28, 491.
EXPERIMENTAL MALARIACONTROL A N D DEMOGRAPHY
SIR,--I would be grateful for an opportunity to correct an oversight in my paper, "Experimental Malaria Control and Demography in a rural East African Community: a Retrospect" (Transactions, 1969, 63, Supplement, 2). My attention has been drawn to the omission from this paper of any mention of my debt to the staff of the East African Institute of Malaria and Vector-borne Diseases for the collection of certain information, For this 2 apologize to all concerned. I n the main, of course, I was reviewing data from the Institute's Annual Reports or published by myself and other Institute staff members, but I agree that the Institute's key role in this work should have been reaffirmed. 2 am, etc., G. PRINGLE. Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine 27 November, 1969.
885
TRIMETHOPRIMAND SULPHAMETHOXAZOLEIN TR YPANOSOMA CRUZI INFECTION SIR,--There is at present no effective treatment for Trypanosoma cruzi infection. The nitrofurans are being tried with some success (CANQADO, 1968), and continued search is being made for effective drugs. The combination of trimethoprim and sulphamethoxazole has been used with good results in bacterial infections (REEVES et al., 1969; GRONEBERG et al., 1969) and malaria (MODELL, 1968; ROTHE et al., 1969). We made a small trial to see if this combination had any beneficial effect on experimental T. cruzi infection in CF1 mice. 20 C F I mice, 15 g. in weight, were given intraperitoneally 5 × 104 blood forms of T. cruzi, Peru strain, i0 of them were given I mg. of trimethoprim and 5 mg. of sulphamethoxazole daily by mouth via a small stomach tube. Treatment was begun on the day of infection. 10 other mice received the drugs alone without the 7". cruzi inoculation.
Mean survival in days ± SD
No. of mice 20
Treatment and T. cruzi
9-7 ± 1'2
10
T. cruzi only
9 ' 9 ± 0"7
10
Treatment only
None died
There was no delay in onset of parasitaemia in the treated group, and no significant difference in the level of parasitaemia in the two groups. It is evident that with this dose there was no beneficial effect. We are etc., S. SEA~ P. D. MARSDEN London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, W.C.1. 10 September, 1969.
REFERENCES CANQADO, J. R. (1968). Doenfa de Chagas, 517, Belo Horizonte, Brasil. GRONEBERG, R. N. & KOLBE, R. (1969). Br. reed. J., 1, 545. MODELL, W. (1968). Science, 162, 1312. REEVES, D. S., FRIERS, M. C., PURSELL,R. E. & BRUMFITT,W. (1969). Br. reed. ft., 1, 541. ROTHE, W. E., JACOBS, D. P. & WALTER, W. (3". (1969). Am. ft. trop. Med. Hyg., 28, 491.
EXPERIMENTAL MALARIACONTROL A N D DEMOGRAPHY
SIR,--I would be grateful for an opportunity to correct an oversight in my paper, "Experimental Malaria Control and Demography in a rural East African Community: a Retrospect" (Transactions, 1969, 63, Supplement, 2). My attention has been drawn to the omission from this paper of any mention of my debt to the staff of the East African Institute of Malaria and Vector-borne Diseases for the collection of certain information, For this 2 apologize to all concerned. I n the main, of course, I was reviewing data from the Institute's Annual Reports or published by myself and other Institute staff members, but I agree that the Institute's key role in this work should have been reaffirmed. 2 am, etc., G. PRINGLE. Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine 27 November, 1969.