The Metabolism of Pathogenic Trypanosomes and the Carbohydrate Metabolism of Their Hosts

Abstract

The carbohydrate metabolism of the pathogenic trypanosomes is characterized by its great intensity and also by the fact that the sugar is only partially oxidized in the presence of oxygen, probably to pyruvic acid. The carbo-hydrate metabolism of the infected mammal is also dis-turbed, the blood sugar and glycogen reserves tending to be low and glycogenesis tending to be reduced. Effects somewhat like these have also been observed in bacterial and Bartonella infections. Four theories have been presented to explain the disturbed carbohydrate metabolism of the host; none of them is found, on critical examination, to be entirely satisfactory.