Determination of volumes of Trypanosoma vivax and T. congolense separated from cattle blood

Abstract

Trypanosomes were separated on DEAE cellulose columns from blood samples taken during the first parasitemic wave in T. vivax or T. congolense infected cattle. The mean volume of T. vivax organisms in five steers increased from 16.3 fl SE 0.7 on day five to 20.7 fl SE 0.7 on day eight. Assuming an even distribution of T. vivax throughout the vasculature, the total trypanosome volume at peak parasitemia (36.400 trypanosomes per microliter on day six) was calculated to be about 0.067% of the blood volume, i.e. 8.0 ml. The mean volume of the separated T. congolense organisms was 14.0 fl SE 0.3 on day nine post infection (mean parasitemia of 3.100 trypanosomes per microliter blood). The T. congolense organisms in the jugular venous blood accounted for about 0.0043% of the jugular venous blood volume.