Acriflavin Inhibits the Proliferation of Trypanosoma musculi

In Africa, it is estimated that trypanosomiasisoccurs in more than 37 Sub-Saharan countries coveringmore than a third of Africa s total area. Theinfection threatens an estimated 60 million peopleand about 50 million cattle. According to the WorldHealth Organization (WHO, 2002), estimation about500,000 new cases of human infection and 3 milliondeaths in cattle occur every year. The economiclosses in cattle production alone are estimated to beabout 1.2 billion U.S dollars a year. If this figurewere extrapolated to the whole tsetse infested land,the total losses in terms of agricultural GrossDomestic Product, would amount to $ 4.75 billiondollars per year (WHO, 2002). As of now, there is noefficient and safe enough drug to be used as thefirst-line drug to fight trypanosomiasis (Jarvinenand Dalmasso, 1977, Fong et al., 1984, Odeika et al.,1994, Obexer et al., 1995, Gubler, 1998, Klingbeiland Englund, 2004). The urgent need for moreselective and less toxic antitrypanosomiasis drug hasstimulated this study of acriflavine as a possibleantitrypanosomial drug.... Mehr