Parasite
Trypanosoma brucei
Tsetse-borne cause of African sleeping sickness
trih-PAN-oh-SOH-muh BROO-see-eye
High-yield clue
Blood/CSF trypomastigotes with a single flagellum and undulating membrane, plus posterior cervical lymph nodes (Winterbottom's sign), are the key study clues.
Overview
A hemoflagellate protozoan complex (T. b. gambiense and T. b. rhodesiense) transmitted by the tsetse fly that causes human African trypanosomiasis. It matters as the classic vector-borne parasite with central nervous system involvement.
Classification
- Protozoa
- Kinetoplastid hemoflagellate
- Extracellular
- Undulating membrane morphology
Lab & identification clues
- Giemsa blood/CSF smear trypomastigotes
- Kinetoplast + undulating membrane vocabulary
- Motile flagellate on wet mount
- Antigenic variation (VSG) surface-coat concept
Associations
- Tsetse fly (Glossina) vector
- West/Central Africa (gambiense) vs East Africa (rhodesiense)
- Winterbottom's sign lymphadenopathy vocabulary
- Sleeping-sickness CNS-stage study framing
Commonly confused with
- Trypanosoma cruzi
- Leishmania species
Frequently asked questions
What is Trypanosoma brucei?
A hemoflagellate protozoan complex (T. b. gambiense and T. b. rhodesiense) transmitted by the tsetse fly that causes human African trypanosomiasis. It matters as the classic vector-borne parasite with central nervous system involvement.
What are the lab clues for Trypanosoma brucei?
Lab clues for Trypanosoma brucei include Giemsa blood/CSF smear trypomastigotes, Kinetoplast + undulating membrane vocabulary, Motile flagellate on wet mount, and Antigenic variation (VSG) surface-coat concept.
What is Trypanosoma brucei commonly confused with?
Trypanosoma brucei is commonly confused with Trypanosoma cruzi and Leishmania species.
Original student-study summary. Sources checked: OpenStax Microbiology 2e, NCBI Bookshelf Medical Microbiology, and CDC topic pages where applicable; reviewed 2026-06. Educational only; no diagnosis, treatment, dosing, or specimen-handling guidance.