HAEMATOLOGICAL AND PARASITOLOGICAL CHANGES IN EXPERIMENTAL ARTEMETHER-TREATED Trypanosoma brucei INFECTION IN RABBITS

Therapeutic effects and haematological changes by treatment with artemether were investigated and compared with those of diminazene aceturate in Trypanosoma brucei brucei infection of rabbits. Trypanosoma brucei brucei infection of rabbits was characterized by high parasitaemia, acute anaemia and gradual development of leucopenia. T. b. brucei infected rabbits were treated with various doses of artemether, an anti-protozoan drug of malaria and compared with standard dose of diminazene aceturate in other set of  rabbits.Though artemether-treated T. b. brucei-infected rabbits were able to survive for 49 to 57 days as against maximum of 39 days in untreated infected group, there was no cure even with high dosage. Diminazene aceturate-treated rabbits were completely cured and had their haematological disorders reversed. Artemether, an anti-protozoan drug against malaria neither could cure the protozoan disease by T. b. brucei in rabbits nor able to reverse the haematological disorder brought about by the parasite but at best slightly prolonged the period of survival of the  animals. Â