1. Systematic Position
Kingdom: Protista
Phylum: Protozoa
Class: Mastigophora (Flagellata)
Order: Kinetoplastida
Genus: Trypanosoma
2. Habitat
Endoparasite
Lives in:
Blood plasma
Lymph
Cerebrospinal fluid of vertebrates
Transmitted by insect vectors
3. Important Species
Trypanosoma gambiense – African sleeping sickness
Trypanosoma rhodesiense – Acute sleeping sickness
Trypanosoma cruzi – Chagas disease (America)
4. Disease Caused
African Trypanosomiasis (Sleeping Sickness)
Symptoms:
Fever
Headache
Lymph node swelling
Sleep disturbances
Mental confusion (late stage)
5. Morphology
Shape & Size
Elongated, spindle-shaped
Size: 15–30 µm
Body tapering at both ends
Body Structure
Pellicle: Flexible outer covering
Cytoplasm: Single, undivided
Nucleus: Single, elongated
Kinetoplast:
DNA-containing structure
Located near basal body
Characteristic feature ⭐
Locomotory Organs
Single flagellum
Forms an undulating membrane
Helps in movement inside blood
6. Nutrition
Saprozoic
Absorbs nutrients directly from host’s body fluids
7. Respiration & Excretion
Anaerobic respiration
Excretion by diffusion
Ammonia is main waste product
8. Reproduction
Asexual only
Longitudinal binary fission
Nucleus divides first
Kinetoplast divides before nucleus
9. Life Cycle ⭐ (Very Important)
Hosts Involved
Primary host: Human
Secondary host (vector): Tsetse fly (Glossina)
Stages in Human
Metacyclic trypomastigotes enter bloodstream
Multiply by binary fission
Spread to lymph & CNS
Stages in Tsetse Fly
Parasite ingested with blood meal
Develops in midgut
Migrates to salivary glands
Becomes infective stage
10. Pathogenicity
Destroys RBCs
Produces toxins
Affects nervous system
Causes sleep cycle disturbance
11. Prevention & Control
Control of tsetse fly population
Use of insect repellents
Early diagnosis and treatment
Proper medical care
12. Difference Between Trypanosoma & Leishmania ⭐
Feature
Trypanosoma
Leishmania
Shape
Elongated
Oval
Flagellum
Present
Present (short)
Habitat
Blood
Macrophages
Disease
Sleeping sickness
Kala-azar
