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Human African trypanosomiasis (HAT), also known as African sleeping sickness or simply sleeping sickness, is caused by the species Trypanosoma brucei. [3] Humans are infected by two types, Trypanosoma brucei gambiense (TbG) and Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense (TbR). [3] TbG causes over 92% of reported cases. [1]
Human African trypanosomiasis, which is caused by either Trypanosoma brucei gambiense or Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense, is presently estimated to threaten over 40 million people in sub-Saharan Africa, [1] especially in rural areas and populations affected by war or poverty.
A sketch of two women suffering from Winterbottom's Sign. Winterbottom's sign is a swelling of lymph nodes (lymphadenopathy) along the posterior cervical lymph node chain, associated with the early phase of African trypanosomiasis (African sleeping sickness), a disease caused by the parasites Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense and Trypanosoma brucei gambiense.
Trypanosoma is a genus of kinetoplastids (class Trypanosomatidae [1]), a monophyletic [2] group of unicellular parasitic flagellate protozoa. Trypanosoma is part of the phylum Euglenozoa . [ 3 ] The name is derived from the Ancient Greek trypano- (borer) and soma (body) because of their corkscrew-like motion.
Trypanosoma brucei is a species of parasitic kinetoplastid belonging to the genus Trypanosoma that is present in sub-Saharan Africa.Unlike other protozoan parasites that normally infect blood and tissue cells, it is exclusively extracellular and inhabits the blood plasma and body fluids. [1]
The three major human diseases caused by trypanosomatids are; African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness, caused by Trypanosoma brucei and transmitted by tsetse flies [3]), South American trypanosomiasis (Chagas disease, caused by T. cruzi and transmitted by triatomine bugs), and leishmaniasis (a set of trypanosomal diseases caused by various species of Leishmania transmitted by sandflies [4]).
Drug therapy, using Eflornithine and Melarsoprol Pentamidine for T. gambiense and Suramin (Antrypol) for either Trypanosoma brucei rhodensiense and Trypanosoma brucei gambiense, or combinations of these medications, can help treat this disease, but vaccines can not be used due to antigenic variation. [citation needed]
Sandfly species transmit the disease leishmaniasis, by acting as vectors for protozoan Leishmania species, and tsetse flies transmit protozoan trypansomes (Trypanosoma brucei gambiense and Trypansoma brucei rhodesiense) which cause African Trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness). Ticks and lice form another large group of invertebrate vectors.