Clastogenic effects of Trypanosoma brucei brucei and Trypanosoma evansi mixed infection in bone marrow of Wistar rats.

The clastogenic effect of mixed infection of Trypanosoma evansi and Trypanosoma brucei brucei in the bone marrow (BM) cells of Wistar albino rats was investigated. Clastogenic effects were observed in the BM cells using the micronucleus assay. The findings indicate that T. evansi, T. b. brucei and mixed infection with both parasites induced the formation of micronucleated polychromatic erythrocyte (MN-PCEs) in the BM cells significantly (P < 0.05) by 60, 63 and 81 micronuclei/1000 PCE respectively. Mixed infection induced formation of MN-PCEs increase by about 1.33 fold when compared with single infections of T. b. brucei and T. evansi. These data give a preliminary evidence of possible genotoxic effects in trypanosomiasis.