Trypanosomiasis is spread by an insect vector, the tsetse fly, and is fatal if left untreated. Recently DFMO has proven to be useful for the treatment of African sleeping sickness. This drug, however, only works on the less virule variant of T. brucei and resistance is becoming a problem. More about African sleeping sickness from the World Health Organization . Acute or chronic infections begin with the bite of an infected reduviid bug, which is the insect vector for the disease.
Patients typically die of heart failure within one month of contracting an accute infection.
Chronic infections can last several years with the eventual deterioration of heart muscle leading to heart failure and death. No effective drug therapy currently exists for the treatment of Chagas disease. More about Chagas disease from the World Health Organization . Genome project Links Information on T. cruzi genome project. Information on T. brucei genome project.