Trypanosoma congolense

T. congolense

Trypanosoma congolense is a type of single-celled parasites within the genus Trypanosoma, which acts as a pathogen nagana, an epizootic disease in ruminants in Africa. The parasite is transmitted by tsetse flies.

Discovery and description

Trypanosoma congolense was first described by the Belgian doctor Alphonse Broden 1904 and after the collecting site, the colony of Belgian Congo, named.

The protozoa has a single flagellum, which runs at the cell surface under a relatively inconspicuous undulating membrane to the front end of the cell, but unlike other trypanosome does not become a free-swinging scourge in all cell lines. The cells also have a medium sized kinetoplast, an accumulation of deoxyribonucleic acid inside a large mitochondrion. The parasite is found in mammals present in an up to 18 microns long trypomastigotes cell shape. In insects also epimastigote cell lines are observed in addition to trypomastigotes; they differ by the position of the Scourge base relative to the cell header.

Within the genus Trypanosoma Trypanosoma vivax is classified in the subgenus Nannomonas. Within the species, three subgroups are distinguished on the basis of biochemical and genetic features:

• Trypanosoma congolense " Riverine forest"
• " Savannah "
• "Kenya coast / kilifi "

The Trypanosoma congolense " Tsavo " Group is based on molecular analyzes, which also belongs to the subgenus Nannomonas kind Trypanosoma simiae assigned. The genetic differences within the species Trypanosoma vivax are in this case greater than in Trypanosoma brucei or the entire subgenus Trypanozoon; However, the current taxonomy reflects these differences that would justify splitting into several types, do not resist.

Distribution and host animals

Trypanosoma congolense practically occurs only in sub-Saharan Africa, in the area of ​​distribution of the tsetse flies before. The parasite is in East Africa, the most important causative agent of nagana, while dominated West African Trypanosoma vivax.

Trypanosoma congolense can infect many pets, including cattle, domestic horses, sheep, goats, camels, pigs and dogs. Many wild animals may be reservoir hosts. The most important vector is the tsetse fly; a mechanical transmission by other insects outside the tsetse area seems epidemiologically if ever to play only a minor role.

Life cycle

Trypanosoma congolense has a complex life cycle with a host change between mammals and insects. In mammals, the trypomastigote parasites multiply mainly in the blood, but also in the intercellular tissue fluids. In tsetse flies found after ingestion of parasites with a blood meal, an increase in both the midgut and in the proboscis instead. The proboscis is epimastigote parasites that transform into metacyclic trypomastigote forms later, which can re-infect a mammal multiply.