[Efficacy of Ro 15-0216 against human strains of Trypanosoma gambiense maintained in rodents. A preliminary study].

The 2-nitro-imidazole derivative Ro 15-0216, closely related to benznidazole used for the treatment of South American trypanosomiasis (T. cruzi) proved effective against T. brucei brucei and T. brucei rhodesiense in rodents and sheep models. Diffusion in CSF is large in dogs and sheep. We studied splenectomised or immunodepressed mice and rats, infested with T. brucei gambiense human strain T-M1 isolated from a Gabonese patient with sleeping sickness. 2 groups of 5 mice were treated with oral doses of 50 mg/kg and 100 mg/kg for 3 days. 3 mice were injected with 10 mg/kg intraperitoneally. 3 rats were given 50 mg/kg orally for 2 days. 3 rats were injected with 25 mg/kg, 4 rats with 10 mg/kg, 2 rats with 100 mg/kg intraperitoneally. 13 animals were "controls". A dose of 10 mg/kg was rapidly active against the parasites circulating in blood. The diffusion in CSF was not studied. No side effects have been observed. 24/25 treated rodents were in good health without parasites in the blood at Day 12.