Curative drug treatment of trypanosomosis leads to the restoration of B-cell lymphopoiesis and splenic B-cell compartments.

African trypanosomosis is a parasitic disease affecting both humans (sleeping sickness) and animals (nagana). In murine trypanosomosis, the B-cell compartment is rapidly destroyed after infection. In addition, B-cell lymphopoiesis in the bone marrow is abrogated, B-cell subsets in the spleen are irreversibly depleted, and B-cell memory is destroyed. Here, we investigated the effect of cure of infection on the B-cell compartment. Suramin and diminazene aceturate were used in this study as these drugs exhibit different modes of uptake and different mechanisms of trypanocidal action. Curative drug treatment of trypanosomosis infection led to the re-initiation of B-cell lymphopoiesis in the bone marrow, and to the repopulation of splenic B-cell subsets, independent of the drug used. Neither of these drugs by itself induced measurable effects on B-cell lymphopoiesis in the bone marrow or B-cell homoeostasis in the spleen in healthy, naïve animals.