Plasma nitrate and interferon-gamma in Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense infections: evidence that nitric oxide production is induced during both early blood-stage and late meningoencephalitic-stage infections
✍ Scribed by Lorna MacLean; Martin Odiit; Dimy Okitoi; Jeremy M. Sternberg
- Book ID
- 104165126
- Publisher
- Elsevier Science
- Year
- 1999
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 278 KB
- Volume
- 93
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0035-9203
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
✦ Synopsis
The study was conducted at Namungalwe Health Centre, Iaanaa District, Uganda, between Anril and June 1997 and was approved by ethics comm&ees in Aberdeen (UK) and Tororo (Uganda). Diagnosis of sleeping sickness was by blood sample and lumbar puncture. All plasma and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples used in the study were by-products of this normal diagnostic procedure. Only samples from individuals for whom a positive microscopy demonstration of uypanosomes was obtained were included in this study and infections were categorized as either early stage (trypanosomes in blood but not CSF) or late (meningoencenhalitic) stage (trvnanosomes in CSF and CSF white blood cell c&u& >5/mm3). Early-stage infections were treated with suramin (20 mg/kg, weekly over 5 weeks) and late-stage infections with melarsoprol according to the regimen described by WHO (1986). Any patients with detectable malaria parasitaemia or microfilaraemia were excluded from the study. Uninfected individuals with no clinical pathology from the study site nrovided control samnles. Plasma and CSF were stored under liquid nitrogen*until required for analysis. Plasma nitrate was determined as described previously using AspergiZZus nitrate reductase and the Griess reagent (MABBOTT et al., 1994). Creatinine was determined using a colourimetric assay with an alkaline picrate reagent (Sigma Diagnostics, Poole, England). IFN-y was determined using an ELISA based on a capture antibody and peroxidase-conjugated detection antibody obtained from Genzyme Diagnostics (West Malling, England). Data were analysed non-parametrically, and the level of significance was determined using the Mann-Whitney test.