Abstract
ANTICOMPLEMENT factors have been shown to occur in certain parasitic infections of man and animals. Hammerberg et al.1 demonstrated the presence of a factor from Taenia taeniaeformis capable of activating complement through the alternate pathway. Similar findings have been reported for a substance in the cercarial coat of Schistosoma mansoni2. In trypanosomiasis, no such parasitic activity has been reported although hypocomplementaemia has been recognised as a consistent feature of the disease. Marked reductions in complement C4 and C3 were observed in infections with Trypanosoma lewisi3, Tr. rhodesiense4 and Tr. congolense5. One possible mechanism is that the decrease of these complement components results from activation by antigen–antibody complexes. Deposits of immunoglobulins and complement have been demonstrated in kidneys of mice infected with Trypanosoma brucei6,7 and monkeys infected with Tr. rhodesiense4. We present here evidence for an alternative mechanism operating through direct activation of human complement, via the classical pathway, by an isolated variant-specific surface antigen of Tr. brucei.
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MUSOKE, A., BARBET, A. Activation of complement by variant-specific surface antigen of Trypanosoma brucei. Nature 270, 438–440 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1038/270438a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/270438a0
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