Comparison of specific and relative alanine and aspartate aminotransferases of Trypanosoma brucei subgroup trypanosomes.

Using Biochemica Test Kits (Boehringer GmbH, Mannheim) a significant difference in alanine aminotransferase : aspartate aminotransferase (ALAT : ASAT) ratios was found between Trypanosoma brucei brucei (4 strains; mean ± S.E.; 4.204 ± 0.342) and T. b. rhodesiense (4 strains; mean ± S.E.: 2.973 ± 0.174) blood¬ stream stage crude soluble enzyme extracts. This difference is a stable characteristic, unaffected by the strains tested, level of parasitaemia, and number of subpassages in rats. There was also a significant difference between T. b. brucei and T. b. rhodesiense specific ALAT activities. ALAT : ASAT ratios and specific ALAT activities in bloodstream and culture slages of T. b. brucei were significantly different. Control tests elucidated the value of the test assay used for crude soluble enzyme preparations of both T. brucei subspecies. Within either subspecies there was a positive significant correlation between the degree of pleomorphism (percentage of slender forms) and ALAT : ASAT ratios.