Role of Glucose in Acute Parasitemic Death of the Rat Infected with Trypanosoma equiperdum

Abstract

The course of infection in adult albino rats infected with T. equiperdum was found to terminate '' abruptly with a parasitemia of 1.566 million trypanosomes per cu. mm. and a blood sugar of 32.8 mg. % in 90 hrs. Oral administration of 5 g. of glucose per kg. every 3 hrs. prolonged the average survival time 18 hrs. while the trypanosome count increased to 3.744 million at death with a mean blood sugar of 37.3 mg. %. The sensitivity of the infected rat to insulin increased with an increase in the number of trypanosomes. Death of the rat infected with T. equiperdum was due to a fatal hypoglycemia caused by the consumption of the blood sugar at a rate in excess of that which the rat could furnish to maintain life.