The effect of high oral magnesium chloride supplementation on the pathogenicity of Trypanosoma brucei brucei and T. congolense infections in rats

Abstract

Eighty healthy adult albino rats of both sex weighing 200-240 grams were used to assess the effect of high oral Magnesium chloride (100mg/kg body weight) supplementation on the pathogenicity of T. b. brucei (Basa strain) or T, congolense (Gboko strain) infections. Two studies were carried out and the rats were divided into 4 groups of 10 rats each (per study) namely; Group A (uninfected, unsupplemented control), Group B (uninfected and supplemented with Magnesium chloride), Group C (T.b. brucei or T. congolense infected, 1x10⁶ trypanosomes and supplemented), Group D (T.b. brucei or T, congolense infected, 1x10⁶ trypanosomes and unsupplemented). Each rat in groups B and C received approximately 0.2ml of MgCl2 intragastrically daily for 10 days before and during the course of the infection. The prepatent period and survival times were shorter (P<0.05), anaemia more severe (P<0.05), parasitaemia, hepatomegaly and splenomegaly higher (P<0.05) in the T.b. brucei or T. congolense infected unsupplemented than the infected supplemented rats. Oral Magnesium chloride at 100mg/kg body weight supplementation did not affect the packed cell volume of the uninfected supplemented but seemed to reduce the severity (pathogenicity) of T.b. brucei (Basa strain) or T. congolense (Gboko strain) infections in rats. There is need to try the effect of this salt alone or in combination with other known trypanocides in domestic animals.


Key words: Magnesium chloride; Supplementation; Trypanosomes; Pathogenicity; Rats.


Trop. Vet. Vol. 21: (3) 152-159 (2003)