Experimental transmission of Trypanosoma gambiense by syringe passage from albino-mouse to mice, rats, gerbil and hamster.
In the present experiment, 10 laboratory rodents (1 gerbil, 1 hamster, 4 mice and 4 rats) were inoculated intraperitoneally each with a same number of 595,000 trypanosomes. The shortest period of prepatent in mouse (129/svsl) was found 6:30 hours post-inoculation; next in gerbil, rat (Long-evans) and mouse (C13H) at 7:40, 8:20 and 8:30 hours respectively. Then, a serial blood samples (1 cmm) were taken with a pipetman and examined at an intervals of 8 hours. It proved that all rodents were found susceptible to T. gambiense infection. The number of parasites was increased over one and half millions per 1 cmm of peripheral blood in all rodents. But the number was apparently low an irregular in gerbil and hamster. No trypanosomes was found within a period of 106 to 162 hours post-inoculation in hamster, then, the parasites re-appeared until death occurred. The survival of infected rodents was comparatively shorter in mice than that in rats. All rodents died within a period of 196 hours (or 8 days) except hamster living for 576 hours (or 24 days). Based on the above figures, it seems probably that the hamster may have the natural resistance and host's tolerance for T. gambiense infection. Therefore, hamster may be the most satisfactory and economical animal for maintenance of T. gambiense infection for experimental studies in laboratory.
D000818:Animals; D006224:Cricetinae / Q000469:parasitology*; D005849:Gerbillinae / Q000469:parasitology*; D008647:Mesocricetus / Q000469:parasitology*; D051381:Rats / Q000469:parasitology*; D013045:Species Specificity; D014347:Trypanosoma brucei gambiense / Q000254:growth & development*; D014353:Trypanosomiasis, African / Q000635:transmission