Nitric oxide production in vervet monkeys (Cercopithecus aethiops) infected with Trypanosoma brucei.

A retrospective study of nitrate concentration in serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from vervet monkeys (Cercopithecus aethiops) infected with Trypanosoma brucei was undertaken. Serum nitrate was significantly elevated in parasitaemic animals. CSF nitrate detection correlated with the presence of parasites in the CNS. The results provide evidence for the production of nitric oxide (NO) in response to infection in a primate model of human African trypanosomiasis and provide the basis for the use of such a model in studies of the immunopathological effects of NO in human trypanosomiasis.