The efficacy of berenil (diminazene aceturate) against Trypanosoma evansi infection in mice.

The efficacy of berenil (diminazene aceturate) was studied in experimental Trypanosoma evansi infection in albino mice. The criteria used for the assessment of the anti-trypanosomal effect of berenil included the examination of the blood and tissues for T. evansi and the clinical, pathological and enzyme histochemical changes seen in the lungs, heart, liver, kidney and spleen at intervals after treatment. Single doses of 10 and 20 mg/kg of berenil given intraperitoneally or intramuscularly to infected mice produced a complete elimination of the protozoon and caused a slow tissue recovery mirrored in the persistence of lesions in different organs. Single doses of 3.5 mg/kg of berenil were less effective and none of the three dose levels of the drug used induced toxic effects in albino mice.