An accidental laboratory infection with trypanosomes of a defined stock II. Studies on the serological response of the patient and the identity of the infecting organism

Abstract

Summary We describe the serological investigation of a student who developed acute trypanosomiasis whilst working with the ETat variable antigen types of a stock of Trypanosoma brucei ssp which was thought to be non-infective for man. The patient exhibited the extreme elevation of IgM typical in this disease but no serological evidence was obtained to show that this represented anything but a specific response to antigens of the infecting organism. The IgM deteriorated rapidly during storage. Immunoglobulin E was also considerably increased above normal. Serological evidence was obtained that the infection was initiated by variable antigen type ETat 10, which organism appears to be the only one from the ETat serodeme that, when grown in rodents, is infective for man.