Page 13 - Kingdom Protist

African sleeping sickness

The life cycles of the zoof lagellates that cause both African sleeping sicknesses
are similar to the one that causes American sleeping sickness. The insect host is the
tsetse (SEET see) fly, shown in Figure 2.7. The blood-sucking tsetse f ly becomes
infected when it feeds on an infected human or other mammal. The zooflagellate
reproduces in the gut of the fly and then migrates to its salivary glands. When the fly

bites the human, the zoof lagellate is transferred to the human host. The zoof
lagellates reproduce in the human host and cause fever, inflammation of the lymph
nodes, and damage to the nervous system.

Did you know?

Did you know? There are types of protozoa that are harmful to the body, as they
provoke the occurrence of a fairly fatal disease. The danger of protozoa to the body can be
seen from the type of protozoa that enter and infect the body. Examples are:
• Balantidium coli. These protozoa live and infect the gastrointestinal tract causing
balantidiasis disease.
• Entamoeba histolytica. This type of protozoa causes the occurrence of amoebiasis
disease of the intestines.
• Giardia intestinalis. These protozoa reproduce in the small intestine, causing a disease
called giardiasis or diarrhea. Having another name giardia duodenal or giardia lamblia,
giardia intestinalis is found on the surface of soil, food, or water that has been
contaminated with feces from humans as well as animals.
• Leishmania, is a microscopic parasite that is in the bloodstream, causes leishmaniasis
disease. Transmission in humans through the bites of certain species of already infected
animals. There are three forms of infection due to this parasite, namely cutaneous,
mucosal, and visceral leishmaniasis.
• Plasmodium falciparum. These protozoa cause malaria disease in humans.
• Toxoplasma gondii, is an intracellular parasite that causes the occurrence of
toxoplasmosis.
• Trypanosoma brucei, causing African trypanosomiasis disease or sleeping sickness.

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