Figure 3.

Treatment of chronic (a) and acute (b) stage Trypanosoma cruzi infections with 30 mg kg⁻¹ benznidazole. Treatment of infected BALB/c mice (n = 6) with bioluminescent parasites (CL Brener strain) was initiated 124 or 126 days (chronic), or 14 days (acute) post-infection, once daily by the oral route, for the number of days indicated. Representative ventral images of the same pair of mice are shown for each drug, at various points post-infection. NT, non-treated (vehicle only). Where required to confirm curative outcomes, mice were immunosuppressed by cyclophosphamide treatment on days 42 and 46 (acute stage experiment), 138, 142 and 146 (chronic stage experiment, 5 days treatment), and 154, 158 and 162 (chronic stage experiment, 10 and 20 days treatment) (underlined with red bar). All mice scored as cured were bioluminescence negative by both in vivo and ex vivo imaging.