TRYPANOSOMES

TRYPANOSOMES

Trypanosomes are hemoflagellate protozoa; they belong to the family trypanosomatidae. It is
- Require more then one host to complete their life cycle
- Transmitted through blood feeding invertebrates (insects).
- Mostly live in blood tissue but can be found in different locations in the host
- Uses antigen variation, or variation of the protein coat, to avoid detection by the body
- The complex Trypanosoma brucei have two subspecies that are morphologically indistinguishable cause distinct disease patterns in humans: T. b. gambiense causes West African sleeping sickness and T. b. rhodesiense causes East African sleepingnsickness. The parasite, Trypanosoma cruzi, causes America typansosmiasis (or Chagas disease).
- These species may have amastigote, epimastigote, and trypomastigote stages in their life cycle.
- Typical trypanosome structure is an elongated spindle-shaped body, a centrally situated nucleus, a kinetoplast posterior to nucleus, an undulating membrane arising from the kinetoplast and proceeding forward along the margin of the cell membrane and a single free flagellum at the anterior end. The amastigote is oval to suboval and contains a nucleus and rod-shaped kinetoplast.