Role of Glucose in Acute Parasitemic Death of the Rat Infected with Trypanosoma equiperdum

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Abstract
The course of infection in adult albino rats infected with T. equiperdum was found to terminate '' abruptly with a parasitemia of 1.566 million trypanosomes per cu. mm. and a blood sugar of 32.8 mg. % in 90 hrs. Oral administration of 5 g. of glucose per kg. every 3 hrs. prolonged the average survival time 18 hrs. while the trypanosome count increased to 3.744 million at death with a mean blood sugar of 37.3 mg. %. The sensitivity of the infected rat to insulin increased with an increase in the number of trypanosomes. Death of the rat infected with T. equiperdum was due to a fatal hypoglycemia caused by the consumption of the blood sugar at a rate in excess of that which the rat could furnish to maintain life.