African trypanosomiasis

African trypanosomiasis Microchapters
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Case #1
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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-In-Chief: Pilar Almonacid

Synonyms and keywords: Sleeping sickness; Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense; Rhodesian trypanosomiasis; Trypanosoma brucei gambiense; Gambian trypanosomiasis; Human African trypanosomiasis

Diagnosis

History and Symptoms | Physical Examination | Laboratory Findings | Other Diagnostic Studies

Treatment

Medical Therapy | Primary Prevention | Secondary Prevention | Cost-Effectiveness of Therapy | Future or Investigational Therapies

Case Studies

Case #1

Life Cycle

During a blood meal on the mammalian host, an infected tsetse fly (genus Glossina) injects metacyclic trypomastigotes into skin tissue. The parasites enter the lymphatic system and pass into the bloodstream (1). Inside the host, they transform into bloodstream trypomastigotes (2), are carried to other sites throughout the body, reach other blood fluids (e.g., lymph, spinal fluid), and continue the replication by binary fission (3). The entire life cycle of African trypanosomes is represented by extracellular stages. The tsetse fly becomes infected with bloodstream trypomastigotes when taking a blood meal on an infected mammalian host (4),(5)). In the fly’s midgut, the parasites transform into procyclic trypomastigotes, multiply by binary fission (6), leave the midgut, and transform into epimastigotes (7) . The epimastigotes reach the fly’s salivary glands and continue multiplication by binary fission (8). The cycle in the fly takes approximately 3 weeks. Humans are the main reservoir for Trypanosoma brucei gambiense, but this species can also be found in animals. Wild game animals are the main reservoir of T. b. rhodesiense.

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  Life Cycle of Trypanosoma brucei
  Adapted from CDC