Which protist causes African sleeping sickness?

The protist that causes African sleeping sickness is Trypanosoma brucei. This parasitic single-celled organism is transmitted to humans by the bite of an infected tsetse fly in sub-Saharan Africa.

Human African trypanosomiasis is caused mainly by two medically important subspecies: Trypanosoma brucei gambiense, which is generally associated with a slower, chronic disease in West and Central Africa, and T. b. rhodesiense, which usually produces a faster illness in East and Southern Africa and commonly involves animal reservoirs. The parasite circulates in blood and lymph before it can cross into the central nervous system.

The disease’s name comes from its later neurological effects, including disrupted sleep, confusion, and problems with coordination. Without treatment, it is typically fatal. The organism is named for Scottish physician David Bruce, who investigated the disease and its transmission in the late nineteenth century.

The distractors cause different diseases: T. cruzi causes Chagas disease, Plasmodium falciparum causes malaria, and Leishmania donovani causes visceral leishmaniasis.