Abstract
Although changes in the lipoid content of the blood have been described in a variety of physiological and pathological conditions, they have not been sufficiently studied in animals with protozoal infections. Nakanishi 1 observed some increase in the serum cholesterol, fatty acids and phosphatides in the early stage of syphilis in rabbits but all these elements decreased when generalized infection was established. Santos 2 and Borel, et al., 3 found that in patients suffering from malaria the serum cholesterol was subnormal. On the other hand, a slight increase in the blood cholesterol in filariasis was described by Boyd. 4 Linton 5 demonstrated some increase of plasma lipoid phosphorus in rats acutely infected with Trypanosoma equiperdum. In a study of anemia produced by the same organism Dubin 6 found in one dog a slight increase in total lipoid of whole blood and plasma accompanied by a decrease of cholesterol. Lannoy and Lagodsk 7 noted some elevation in the serum cholesterol of rabbits infected with Trypanosoma annamense without mentioning any variation in the total lipoid content. The changes so far recorded have not been constant and the variation from normal limits has been rather slight. In view of the meagre information available regarding the abnormalities of blood lipoids further investigation of the changes of these substances in the course of an experimental protozoal infection seems desirable. The present study was, therefore, undertaken to determine whether or not there is any change in the plasma lipoids of rabbits infected with Trypanosoma brucei, a strain which hitherto has not been used for the study of blood chemistry.
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