Trypanosoma

This article is about the genus. For the humans-specifics pathogens, see Trypanosoma brucei and Trypanosoma cruzi.

Trypanosoma
Trypanosoma sp. among red blood cells.
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Phylum: Euglenozoa
Class: Kinetoplastea
Order: Trypanosomatida
Family: Trypanosomatidae
Genus: Trypanosoma
Gruby, 1843
Subgenera
Synonyms
  • Castellanella Chalmers 1918 non Pacheco & Rodrigues 1930
  • Duttonella Chalmers 1918
  • Haematomonas Mitrophanow 1883
  • Schizotrypanum Chagas 1909
  • Trypanozoon Lühe 1906

Trypanosoma is a genus of kinetoplastids (class Trypanosomatidae[1]), a monophyletic[2] group of unicellular parasitic flagellate protozoa. Trypanosoma is part of the phylum Euglenozoa.[3] The name is derived from the Greek trypano- (borer) and soma (body) because of their corkscrew-like motion. Most trypanosomes are heteroxenous (requiring more than one obligatory host to complete life cycle) and most are transmitted via a vector. The majority of species are transmitted by blood-feeding invertebrates, but there are different mechanisms among the varying species. Trypanosoma equiperdum is spread between horses and other equine species by sexual contact. They are generally found in the intestine of their invertebrate host, but normally occupy the bloodstream or an intracellular environment in the vertebrate host.

Trypanosomes infect a variety of hosts and cause various diseases, including the fatal human diseases sleeping sickness, caused by Trypanosoma brucei, and Chagas disease, caused by Trypanosoma cruzi.

The mitochondrial genome of the Trypanosoma, as well as of other kinetoplastids, known as the kinetoplast, is made up of a highly complex series of catenated circles and minicircles and requires a cohort of proteins for organisation during cell division.

  1. ^ "WHO - The parasite". WHO. Archived from the original on September 29, 2016. Retrieved 8 March 2019.
  2. ^ Hamilton PB, Stevens JR, Gaunt MW, Gidley J, Gibson WC (2004). "Trypanosomes are monophyletic: evidence from genes for glyceraldehyde phosphate dehydrogenase and small subunit ribosomal RNA". Int. J. Parasitol. 34 (12): 1393–404. doi:10.1016/j.ijpara.2004.08.011. PMID 15542100.
  3. ^ "Taxonomy of African Trypanosoma species". msu.edu. Retrieved 2019-03-28.