Experimental studies on survivality and degenerative changes of Trypanosoma evansi after death of host

Twenty adult Swiss albino mice, 20 rats and 10 rabbits were artificially infected with Trypanosoma evansi and killed at the peak of parasitaemia to know the period of survivality of T. evansi and degenerative changes of the parasite after death of these hosts. Examination of Giemsa stained blood smears and wet blood smears revealed the presence of parasites and live trypanosomes along with motility in the heart blood of mice and rats up to 14 h and in rabbits up to 13 h post death. Mouse inoculation test (MIT) conducted with heart blood up to 13 h post death of mice and rabbits became positive. MIT with both heart blood and portal blood of rats became positive up to 14 h post death. The liver and lung impression smears could detect the parasites up to 14 h of death of mice and rats and up to 13 h post death of rabbits whereas spleen impression smears revealed the presence of parasites up to 12 h post death of these animals. It is confirmed that T. evansi infection in animals may be diagnosed after post mortem examination of hosts by demonstration of parasites.