The release of kinins as the result of an antigen-antibody reaction in trypanosomiasis

Abstract

Much is known of the behaviour of pathogenic trypanosomes in the mammalian host but few studies have been made on the hosts’ reaction to the parasite. Alteration of the host’s metabolism might produce “toxic” substances which affect the course of the disease. It is this aspect of the disease that we have been studying for the past few years using Trypanosoma brucei infections in the rabbit. This parasite causes a chronic infection with periodic recrudescences of antigenic variants at intervals of a few days and resembles the human and bovine trypanosome infections. The rabbits die after 4–6 weeks.