| dc.description.abstract | The pig parasite Trypanosoma (Nannomonas)simiae is morphologically
indistinguishable from Trypanosoma (Nannomonas) congolense:
The main distinction between the two species 'is that in the domestic
pig the former causes a highly virulent and rapidly fatal disease
while the latter causes a more chronic disease. It is not clear
whether the two parasites are distinct species, or subspecies or strains
of one species. The main aim of the study was to help establish
the identity of Trypanosoma (~.) simiae using biochemical and
immunological techniques.
Isoenzyme pattern analysis using thin-layer starch gel
electrophoresis of the enzymes malate dehydrogenase (MDH), phosphoglucoisomerase
(PGI), alanine aminotransferase (ALAT) , aspartate
aminotransferase (ASAT), phosphoglucomutase (PG4) , malic enzyme
~1E), peptidase I (PEPI) and peptidase II (PEP II), has been
carried out on isolates of 1:.. congolense and T, simi.ae, The results
show that T. simiae is distinct from its close'relative 1:.. congolense.
However, intraspecific variations in some enzymes were found among
isolates of T. simiae.
Antigenic variation has been investigate? in an isolate of
I. simiae using two serological techniques, namely agglutination
and lysis. Results obtained from these studies have Sh01VIlthe
occurrence of antigenic variation in T. (~.) simiae. In crossreaction
experiments,I. simiae did not agglutinate in 1:.. Gongolense
antisera. Similarly 1:.. congolense did not agglutinate in T. simiae
antisera. The results suggest that these two parasites are antigenically
distinct from each other.
The end-products of carbohydrate metabolism have been investigated
and enzyme assays of trypanosome homogenates carried out.
Results from these experiments strongly sugg~st that glycolysis
is as important in,I. simiae as it is in other trypanosome species.
The major end-products of aerobic glucose metabolism were acetate
and pyruvate. Succinate, glycerol and glycerol-phosphate were also
present. These results suggest that these organisms have a partial
Tri-carboxylic acid cycle (TCA) or an alternative pathway with
TCA-cycle intermediates as the end-products. The enzymes hexokinase
(HK), pyruvate kinase (PK) and phosphoglucoisomerase (PGI) had
the highest levels whereas lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) was present
in trace amounts. | en |
