Journal
VIRULENCE
Volume 14, Issue 1, Pages -Publisher
TAYLOR & FRANCIS INC
DOI: 10.1080/21505594.2022.2150445
Keywords
Trypanosome; human African trypanosomiasis; animal African trypanosomiasis; pathogenicity; virulence
Categories
Ask authors/readers for more resources
African trypanosomes are protozoa that are transmitted by vectors and cause significant disease in humans and animals. The severity of infection varies depending on the species of Trypanosoma and the host, making intervention design challenging. This review provides an overview of the current understanding of trypanosome determinants of infection progression and severity, highlighting knowledge gaps and opportunities for developing novel interventions.
African trypanosomes are vector-borne protozoa, which cause significant human and animal disease across sub-Saharan Africa, and animal disease across Asia and South America. In humans, infection is caused by variants of Trypanosoma brucei, and is characterized by varying rate of progression to neurological disease, caused by parasites exiting the vasculature and entering the brain. Animal disease is caused by multiple species of trypanosome, primarily T. congolense, T. vivax, and T. brucei. These trypanosomes also infect multiple species of mammalian host, and this complexity of trypanosome and host diversity is reflected in the spectrum of severity of disease in animal trypanosomiasis, ranging from hyperacute infections associated with mortality to long-term chronic infections, and is also a main reason why designing interventions for animal trypanosomiasis is so challenging. In this review, we will provide an overview of the current understanding of trypanosome determinants of infection progression and severity, covering laboratory models of disease, as well as human and livestock disease. We will also highlight gaps in knowledge and capabilities, which represent opportunities to both further our fundamental understanding of how trypanosomes cause disease, as well as facilitating the development of the novel interventions that are so badly needed to reduce the burden of disease caused by these important pathogens.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available