Immunological responses of Gallus domesticus to infection with Trypanosoma brucei

Birds have long Been reported to be among the possible hosts of T. brucei (Durham, 1908); however, the use of birds for the elucidation of the immune response to trypanosome infection has had relatively little investigation. This thesis has examined the nature of T. brucei brucei infections in birds as well as the significance of the parasite in the development of the very numerous germinal centres which appear in the spleen during the course of a chronic infection. Three lines of salivarian trypanosomes were tested for infectivity to birds; only organisms derived from the primary isolation Lugala/55/EATRO/-459 were found to produce an infection. This persisted for over one year. A comparison of current diagnostic methods showed that mouse inoculation, DEAE column chromatography and development in the serum of heterophile agglutinins (against rabbit, guinea-pig and rat erythrocytes) were of value for detection of infection in chickens. Parasitaemia was maintained at a low level (