Polymerase chain reaction and DNA probe hybridization to assess the efficacy of diminazene treatment in Trypanosoma brucei -infected cattle

Four of eight Ankole longhorn cattle experimentally infected with Trypanosoma brucei were treated with 7 mg/kg diminazene aceturate (Berenil, Hoechst AG, Germany) at day 71 postinfection. The trypanocidal activity was monitored using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and DNA probe hybridization. When extracted parasite DNA (without host DNA) was used, as little as 1 fg per reaction, which is equivalent to about 1–10% of the DNA in a single trypanosome, produced a specific product that was visible as a 177-bp band in an agarose gel. In infected cattle, specific PCR products could be amplified at as early as 1 day postinfection. PCR signals remained positive during infection, except in one sample, although aparasitemic phases occurred. In cases where treatment resulted in a significant clinical improvement, PCR signals disappeared at 3–4 days after the administration of the drug. By contrast, in cattle that showed clinical signs of CNS involvement after treatment, although aparasitemic, and died before the termination of the experiment, specific products could be amplified on several occasions following treatment. The PCR signals generated after treatment could be further enhanced by subsequent slot-blot hybridization with a T. brucei-specific DNA probe. We conclude that PCR coupled with DNA probe hybridization provides a highly sensitive tool for the assessment of therapeutic efficiency and disease progression in trypanosome infections, especially in chronic infections when the level of parasitemia is low or when trypanosomes are sequestered at cryptic sites.