THERAPEUTIC ACTION OF N-PHENYLGLYCINEAMIDE-p-ARSONIC ACID (TRYPARSAMIDE) UPON EXPERIMENTAL INFECTIONS OF TRYPANOSOMA RHODESIENSE

A series of experiments was carried out to determine the effects of tryparsamide upon the infections produced in various species of animals by Tr. rhodesiense. The strain of trypanosome used was one which possessed a very low virulence for guinea pigs, was fairly virulent for mice and rats, and highly virulent for rabbits. Therapeutic experiments carried out on 24 hour infections in mice and rats showed that cures could be obtained in this class of infections by the administration of a single large dose of the drug amounting to approximately two-thirds of the maximum tolerable dose, as contrasted with similar results in cases of gambiense infections from approximately one-ninth and one-fifth of this dose respectively. With advanced infections in rabbits, there appeared to be no single dose of the drug capable of insuring a cure which could be administered with safety, although some cures were obtainable with doses approximating the maximum tolerable dose. Treatment of these infections could be carried to a successful conclusion, however, by an intensive system of treatment in which large doses of the drug were administered at short intervals of time, and even relapses yielded to this treatment in some instances. The employment of such a method of treatment was possible on account of the unusual tolerance exhibited by animals to this drug, a fact which was previously emphasized.