PROTON NUCLEAR-MAGNETIC-RESONANCE DETECTS LEUCINE, 2,3-BUTANEDIOL, AND A PROMINENT INCREASE IN THE LEVEL OF CHOLINE IN THE SERA FROM PATIENTS CHRONICALLY INFECTED WITH SCHISTOSOMIASIS-JAPONICA

H-1-NMR spectroscopy with 'Hahn' spin-echo pulse sequence has been emp loyed to investigate the metabolic profiles of sera of chronic patient s with schistosomiasis japonica, and compared with those of healthy vo lunteers and former patients who had been treated successfully. H-1-NM R clearly detected 2,3-butanediol and leucine, and markedly elevated l evels of choline in sera from the chronic patients. Profiles of the se ra from former patients were essentially similar to those from healthy volunteers, except that ketone bodies (3-hydroxybutyrate and acetone) were detectable in sera from 58% of the former patients but not in th ose of the normal controls patients.