Immune mechanisms in trypanosomiasis: Studies in mice using 75Se-labelled Trypanosoma brucei

Using trypanosomes labelled in vivo with 75Se-methionine, the ability of normal and immunized mice to remove radiolabelled parasites from their circulation was investigated. It was found that immune animals had the capacity to clear parasites rapidly from their blood essentially as a result of hepatic uptake, whereas normal mice did not have this ability and the parasites remained in the circulation. A series of experiments in actively and passively immunized mice showed that hepatic uptake was closely related to antibody levels and was not markedly influenced by macrophage activation or blockade. In subsequent studies in infected animals it was found that, in contrast to mice with chronic infections, those with acute fulminating parasitaemias were unable to remove radiolabelled trypanosomes from their circulation. It was found that this was not due to impaired macrophage function, but was apparently caused by rapid parasite replication outpacing antibody production so that effective opsonization of the trypanosomes did not occur. A comparison of replication rates of the acute strain of T. brucei with that of a strain which causes a more chronic infection showed that, while their initial rates were similar after day 5 the 'chronic' strain changed to a much slower replication rate and this allowed antibody to rise to effective levels. In contrast to the findings of other workers, there was no evidence that the parasite caused any significant suppression of antibody responses in these acute infections. (author)