Transcript Human African Trypanosomiasis: Not Something to Sleep On

Human African Trypanosomiasis (HAT):
Not Something to Sleep On
By Chris Rota
BIOL 402 – Duronio and
Peifer
Where in the World is HAT?
Figure 3. Map of HAT prevalence
in Sub-Saharan Africa, its only
endemic region.
Figure 4. Distributions of T. bruteis species
and Glossina (tsetse fly) species overlap in
HAT endemic regions.
How do I Know if I Have HAT?
• Patient symptoms change as HAT progresses
– Early (blood, lymph nodes): Headaches, fever,
weakness, pain in the joints, and stiffness
– Late (central nervous system): Psychiatric
disorders, seizures, coma and ultimately death
Early diagnosis is
critical to managing
HAT, but often
unreliable in the field
The Perpetrators: Trypanosoma brucei
• Family of parasites with two members
– Trypanosoma gambiense (“West African”)
– Trypanosoma rhodesiense (“East African”)
Figure 2.
Trypomastigotes of
T. brucei within a
blood sample
The Cycle of Human African Trypanosomiasis
Figure 1. Life cycle of the Trypanosoma bruteis parasite family in humans and tsetse flies
Treatment of HAT
Early HAT
• Pentamidine
• Suramin
Late HAT
• Melarsoprol
• Eflornithine (W. HAT only)
A Short History of Humans & HAT
Figure 4. HAT prevalence is correlated with Sub-Saharan African historical periods
in the DRC.
The T. bruteis Genome Project
Figure 5. Documentation of VSG and ESAG gene diversity in T. brutei
genome, thought to contribute to immune system evasion. (Adapted
from Berriman et al 2005)
References
An African woman caring for her comatose husband , who is dying of HAT in Uganda, 1990. Photograph.
Stanford University. 31 Mar 2014.
<http://www.stanford.edu/group/parasites/ParaSites2001/trypanosomiasis/trypano.htm>
In vitro rapid detection test of T. gambiense Ab in blood or plasma. Photograph. Coris Bio-Concept. 31 Mar
2014. <http://www.corisbio.com/Products/Human-Field/Human-African-Trypanosomiasis.php>
Hasker E, Lutumba P, Chappuis F et al. 2012. Human African Trypanosomiasis in the Democratic Republic of the
Congo: A Looming Emergency? PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases 6 (12): 1950.
(2012). Heiman Wertheim, Peter Horby & Jack Woodall (Eds.), Atlas of Human Infectious Diseases. Oxford:
Wiley-Blackwell.
Brun R, Blum J, Chappuis F, Burri C. 2010. Human African Trypanosomiasis. The Lancet 375 (9709): 148-159.
Parasites – African trypanosomiasis. Graphic. Center for Disease Control. 31 Mar 2014.
<http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/sleepingsickness/biology.html>
Berriman M, Ghedin E, Hertz-Fowler C. 2005. The Genome of the African Trypanosome Trypanosoma brucei.
Science 309 (5733): 416-422.
"Human African Trypanosomiasis." WHO Programmes. World Health Organization. Web. 31 Mar 2014.
<http://www.who.int/trypanosomiasis_african/en/>.