AFRICAN TRYPANOSOMIASIS

Course overview

AFRICAN TRYPANOSOMIASIS, ALSO KNOWN AS SLEEPING SICKNESS IS TRANSMITTED VIA THE BITE OF THE TSETSE FLY AND IS PREDOMINANTLY SEEN IN SUBSAHARAN AFRICA. TSETSE FLIES INGEST TRYPANOSOMA BRUCEI PROTOZOA, WHICH MULTIPLY AND DEVELOP INTO EPIMASTIGOTES WHICH ARE INJECTED INTO THE HUMAN BLOODSTREAM DURING A TSETSE FLY BITE. THIS RESULTS IN RAPID PARASITIC DIVISION AND INFECTION OF THE BLOODSTREAM, LYMPHATICS, AND CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM. IF THE INFECTION IS TREATED DURING THE EARLY STAGE, RECOVERY IS POSSIBLE IN MOST PATIENTS. HOWEVER, IF THE PATIENT PRESENTS WITH STAGE 2 DISEASE, THE CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM INVOLVEMENT USUALLY IS FATAL. THIS ACTIVITY REVIEWS THE EVALUATION AND MANAGEMENT OF AFRICAN TRYPANOSOMIASIS AND HIGHLIGHTS THE ROLE OF THE INTERPROFESSIONAL TEAM IN THE PROMPT TREATMENT OF AFFECTED PATIENTS.