Trypanosome Infection

Trypanosome infection is caused by parasites of the genus Trypanosoma, which are heteroxenous trypanosomatids with complex life cycles involving multiple hosts. Notable species include Trypanosoma cruzi, responsible for Chagas' disease, and Trypanosoma brucei, which causes African sleeping sickness. Recent molecular evidence, particularly from 18S rRNA analyses, supports the monophyly of the genus and suggests that nearly half of the genetic diversity within trypanosomatids resides in Trypanosoma, although this may reflect sampling bias. Some species, such as T. cruzi and T. congolense, exhibit genetic diversity comparable to entire well-studied genera like Leishmania. The genus comprises several distinct monophyletic clades, including the 'T. brucei', 'T. cruzi', and 'Aquatics' groups, which may inform a future taxonomic revision of the genus.
References: