title: The effect of temperature and storage on the infectivity and motility of African animal trypanosomes in the blood of different hosts.
abstract: Blood from mice, rats, goats or cattle infected with Trypanosoma congolense, T. vivax or T. brucei was stored at 0-4 degrees C, 20-25 degrees C, 30-35 degrees C or 36-40 degrees C. Each sample was examined after set intervals to determine the maximum period the trypanosomes could remain motile and infective. T. brucei in blood remained motile for 96 h at 0-4 degrees C, being the longest period that was observed, but remained infective for only 8 h. T. vivax survived poorly in rodent blood, but did well in ruminant blood, especially at 20-25 degrees C, whereas T. congolense and T. brucei survived well in rodent blood. The infectivity and motility of the three species of trypanosomes were adversely reduced at temperatures above 36 degrees C.
authors.affiliation: International Laboratory for Research on Animal Diseases, Nairobi, Kenya.
authors.forename: F A
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: McOdimba
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D006041:Goats; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D010274:Parasitology / Q000379:methods*; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D013696:Temperature; D013997:Time Factors; D014345:Trypanosoma / Q000472:pathogenicity / Q000502:physiology*; D014346:Trypanosoma brucei brucei / Q000502:physiology; D014348:Trypanosoma congolense / Q000502:physiology; D014774:Virulence