Interaction of nutrition and infection: effect of zinc deficiency on immunoglobulin levels in trypanosoma musculi infection.

Accumulative evidence in the scientific literature relating malnutrition and susceptibility to infection in human beings and animals has contributed significantly to the understanding of the maladies among the malnourished of the world. In the dispensation of health care systems around the world, little or no emphasis has been placed on trace-element nutrition. This paper adds to the available evidence by using a metabolic imbalance technique to investigate the effects zinc deficiency exert on the course of a parasitic infection. A model composed of zinc-deficient mice and Trypanosoma musculi was used to study changes in serum immunoglobulins.