Effects of Oral Supplementation with Manganese chloride on the severity of <i>Trypanosoma brucei</i> and <i>Trypanasoma congolonse</i> infections in rats

Abstract

Eighty healthy adult albino rats of both sexes were used in two experiments to study the effect of Manganese chloride supplementation on the severity of Trypanosoma brucei brucei and Trypanosoma congolense infections. In each experiment, forty rats were divided into four groups of 10 rats each, namely; A, unsupplemented control; B, supplemented control; C, infected supplemented and D, infected unsupplemented. Aqueous solution (10%) of MnCl2 was administered daily using stomach tube to each rat at 100mg/kg in groups B and C from 10 days before infection and during the course of the infection. Each rat in groups C and D was infected by intraperitoneal injection of 1 x 106 trypanosomes (T. b. brucei or T. congolense) in phosphate buffered saline diluted donor blood. The prepatent periods were shorter (P < 0.05) in T. brucei than T. congolense infections and shorter (P < 0.05) in infected unsupplemented than infected supplemented rats. The infected unsupplemented groups had higher (P<0.05) parasitaemia, more severe anaemia (P<0.05) and hepatic and renal damage than infected supplemented groups. Therefore, oral Manganese chloride supplementation in rats appeared to reduce the severity of trypanosome infections by delaying the onset of parasitaemia, reducing the levels of parasitaemia and accompanying anaemia and organ damage.

Key Word: Trypanosoma brucei, Trypanosoma congolense, manganese chloride supplementation