A morphological and biometrical study of the blood forms ofTrypanosoma suisOchmann, 1905
The status ofTrypanosoma suiswas held in doubt from the time it was first seen in 1905 until it was re-discovered and carefully studied in the Belgian Congo in 1954.A description is given of the morphology of single and dividing forms ofT. suisas seen in stained thin films made from the blood of infected pigs, and a selection of these is illustrated by line drawings. Briefly this trypanosome is short and stumpy with a free flagellum.A biometrical study was made on 200 organisms, showing a normal length distribution with a range from 8·5 to 18·5μ, and mean = 14·43μ.The monomorphism of the trypanosome is verified, and—because of its development in the salivary glands ofGlossina—its systematic position as a monomorphic subgroup of theBruceigroup is confirmed.I am much indebted to Dr C. A. Hoare, F.R.S., for the loan of the blood films used in this study and for his interest in the work. I am also grateful to Professor P. C. C. Garnham for providing me with accommodation and equipment at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.