Experimental immunity against trypanosomiasis in rabbits.

Rabbits were immunized with specially prepared subcellular fractions of a cloned Trypanosoma brucei brucei stock 427. One fraction was found to be highly immunoprophylactic in rabbits exposed to the vector fly genus Glossina m. morsitans (tsetse flies) infected with EATRO Trypanosoma brucei brucei 1969. The most immunoprotective fraction IPFA from T. b. brucei 427 gave 75% protection to animals challenged by EATRO T. b. brucei 1969. IPFA also showed the highest IgG antibody titre against the heterologous and homologous strains. In in vitro studies, the sera from these immunized rabbits killed different strains of parasites, T.b. brucei strains 1969 and 999 which were grown in continuous culture of salivary gland cells from G.m. morsitans.