Experimental Infections with African Trypanosomes

Abstract
Rhesus monkeys infected with Trypanosoma rhodesiense developed a proliferative glomerulonephritis associated with glomerular deposits consisting of the third component of complement (C3), properdin, and IgM. None of the glomerular deposits contained IgG or IgA. The pattern of deposits as revealed by immunofluorescence was granular. Sera from animals with glomerulonephritis were hypocomplementemic; by radial immunodiffusion some animals showed depression of C3 but not C4 levels. These findings suggest that the glomerulonephritis associated with trypanosomal infections in monkeys is related to deposition of immunologically important serum proteins, two of which represent components in an alternate pathway of complement activation. Trypanosomiasis in the rhesus monkey appears to be a valuable model for studies on the pathogenesis of glomerular injury.

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