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PARASITES - Protozoa

Trypanasoma

Trypanosoma is the single-celled protozoan that causes African sleeping sickness. These flagellates (class Mastigophora) are injected into the host via the bite of an infected tsetse fly . The parasites multiply at the site of the bite. They then invade the lymph tissue, causing fever, headache, nausea, vomiting and central nervous system involvement, resulting in coma and death. There are numerous species of Trypanosoma. Examples of two, Trypanosoma gambiense and Trypanosoma rhodesiense are shown at 1000 X magnification. T. cruzi, found in the southern U.S., Mexico, and Central and South America, causes symptoms similar to those of African sleeping sickness. Due to its location however, the disease is named Chaga's disease or South American trypanosomiasis. Trypanosoma has no cyst stage, existing only in its motile trophozoite (troph) stage. Diagnosis depends upon finding Trypanosoma in the blood.

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1. T. gambiense2. T. gambiense3. T. gambiense4. T. gambiense5. T. gambiense

6. T. rhodesiense7. T. rhodiense8. T. rhodesiense9.T. rhodesiense10. T. rhodesiense


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