Mel B in the Treatment of Human Trypanosomiasis

Abstract

Summary 1) “Mel B,” a new trivalent arsenical has been applied to the treatment of 50 cases of human second stage T. gambiense Sleeping Sickness, of which 20 cases presented trypanosomes in the CSF. 2) The cases have been controlled up to 7 months after the treatment. 3) The treatment had no untoward effect. 4) The trypanosomes disappeared in all cases without reoccurrence from lymph glands and blood, 24 hours after the first injection. 5) “Mel B” penetrates into the CSF and exerts a strong parasiticidal effect on the trypanosomes in the central nervous system. 6) A single series of 3–4 daily injections of “Mel B”, i.e. a treatment of 3–4 days duration, may restore the pathological CSF changes of advanced meningoencephalitis Sleeping Sickness cases to normal co-incident with clinical recovery.