Human resistance to African trypanosoma infections

Perez-Morga, D.

Bulletin et Memoires de l'Academie Royale de Medecine de Belgique 162(7-9): 381-386; Discussion 386

2007


ISSN/ISBN: 0377-8231
PMID: 18429487
Document Number: 612130
African trypanosomes (prototype: Trypanosoma brucei) are protozoan flagellates that infect a wide range of different mammals. In humans, these parasites have to counteract innate immunity because human serum possesses efficient trypanolytic activity. Resistance to this activity has arisen in two T. brucei subspecies, termed T. b. rhodesiense and T. b. gambiense, allowing them to infect humans where they cause sleeping sickness in East and West Africa respectively. The study of the mechanism by which T. b. rhodesiense escapes lysis by human serum led to the identification of the trypanolytic factor, which turned out to be an ionic pore-forming apolipoprotein associated with some HDL particles.

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