Trypanosomes Causes Disease

Trypanosomes are microscopic single-celled parasites, which are part of the Trypanosoma Genus, belonging to the Trypanosomatidae Class of the Kingdom Protista. Multiple species of this parasite exist, with different species infecting different vertebrates. Trypanosomes usually transmitted by insect vectors. Infection with this parasite is known as trypanosomiasis - this disease occurs mainly in Sub-Saharan Africa, where it is called Sleeping Sickness and in South and Central America, where it is called Chagas Disease. In Africa, certain species of trypanosomes are of economic significance as they cause disease to both humans and livestock to the extent whereby it becomes an obstacle to human welfare and has a major negative impact agriculture

The people who are most at risk due to the highest level of exposure to the tsetse fly live in rural areas and are dependant upon agriculture, particularly the rearing of livestock. Roughly 10,000 cases of sleeping sickness are reported to the World Health Organisation each year, although this number has been decreasing in recent years. It is suspected that many more cases go undiagnosed and unreported. The infection is treatable with medication but leads to coma and death if left untreated.

There are two stages in the clinical course of African trypanosomiasis. In the first stage, the parasite can be found in parts of the peripheral circulatory system. In the second stage, the parasite invades the central nervous system. The rate at which the infection progresses depends on the strain of the

The acute stage can last for a number of weeks or several months. Possible symptoms of this phase include swelling at the site of infection, fever, fatigue, rash, headache, appetite loss, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhoea. Many patients do not present symptoms until the chronic stage has been reached, as much as 10-20 years after initial infection. These can include abdominal pain (caused by swelling of the colon), difficulty swallowing (caused by swelling of the oesophagus), irregularity of the heartbeat, congestive heart failure and sudden cardiac arrest. In some cases, symptoms never