THE CHEMOPROPHYLACTIC EFFICACY OF KELAMIDIUM” IN ALBINO RATS EXPERIMENTALLY INFECTED WITH TRYPANOSOMA BRUCEI

Abstract

The chemoprophylactic efficacy of Kelamidium® (a brand of Isometamidium chloride) was investigated in Trypanosoma brucei infected albino rats. A total of 25 female albino rats divided into five groups (I— V) of five rats each were used for the study. Group I served as uninfected control, group I as the infected control and groups III, IV and V pre-treated with Kelamidium” at day zero and infected at 8, 10 and 12 weeks respectively with 10° trypanosomes suspended in 0,2ml of normal saline. The packed cell volume (PCV), parasitaemia, and total leucocyte counts were used to assess the efficacy of Kelamidium*. The infection established parasitaemia in groups IV and V which were pre-treated at day zero with Kelamidium”, whereas no parasitaemia was recorded in group III throughout the experimental period. The infection was chronic in the untreated control, however only one rat showed the infection till the end of the experiment. The failure to establish infection in rats of group III shows that Kelamidium® was protective up to 8 weeks. It was concluded that the chemoprophylactic efficacy of Kelamidium’” at 1.0mg/kg is protective in albino rats for 8 weeks only.