| Sumario: | C57BL/6J mice are relatively resistant to trypanosomosis compared to BALB/c or A/J mice. Bloodstream trypanosomes are partly dependent on the host for lipid supply and the plasma lipid levels differ between resistant and susceptible mice. Furthermore, genes controlling plasma lipid levels are differentially expressed in resistant versus susceptible mice during trypanosomosis. Quantitative trait loci (QTL) studies have co-localised the QTLs for trypanotolerance and plasma HDL-cholesterol levels in mice. We hypothesise that plasma lipids have a role to play in trypanosomosis. We manipulated the plasma lipid levels of C57BL/6J, BALB/c and A/J mice and observed how the mice responded to Trypanosoma congolense infection. Significant differences in parasitaemia between the mice with higher and lower plasma lipid levels were observed only in the A/J (P<0.001). There was significant weight loss, following infection, in the mice with the higher plasma lipid levels.
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