Human Trypanosomiasis in India:

Trypanosomes are flagellated protozoan parasites infecting man (human trypanosomiasis) and a wide range of animals (animal trypanosomiasis) (Figures 1 and 6). Human trypanosomiasis is confined to Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America and exists in two forms: 1. Human African trypanosomiasis (HAT) (sleeping sickness) is endemic in Sub-Saharan Africa. It is a dreadful fatal disease and was responsible for devastating epidemics in 1920s, with resurgence in 1990s. It is caused by Trypanosoma brucei (T.b.) gambiense (chronic form) or Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense (acute form) and 2. American trypanosomiasis (Chagas disease) caused by T. cruzi is endemic in Latin America. Both diseases are transmitted by vectors: Human African Trypanosomiasis by infected saliva of Tsetse fly, and chagas by infected feces of bugs (Figure 2). Clinically, HAT has two stages: Stage 1 or hemolymphatic stage characterized by fever, cervical lymphadenopathy, especially in the posterior triangle Figure 1: PS (Geimsa stain)—plenty of long, slender, flagellated, dividing forms of trypanosome