Trypanosoma congolense

Trypanosoma congolense is a species of trypanosomes and is the major pathogen responsible for the disease nagana in cattle and other animals including sheep, pigs, goats, horses and camels, dogs,^[2] as well as laboratory mice. It is the most common cause of nagana in east Africa, but is also a major cause of nagana in west Africa. This parasite is spread by tsetse flies. In its mammalian host, Trypanosoma congolense only lives in blood vessels, and causes in particular anaemia.^[2][3][4][5]

Cachexic dog infested with T. congolense after travel in West Africa

Trypanosoma congolense
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Clade:	Discoba
Phylum:	Euglenozoa
Class:	Kinetoplastea
Order:	Trypanosomatida
Family:	Trypanosomatidae
Genus:	Trypanosoma
Species:	T. congolense
Binomial name
Trypanosoma congolense Broden, 1904
Synonyms[1]
Trypanosoma dimorphon Laveran & Mesnil, 1904 Trypanosoma nanum Laveran, 1905 Trypanosom confusum Montgomery & Kinghorn, 1909 Trypanosoma montgomeryi Laveran, 1909 Trypanosoma pecorum Bruce et al., 1910 Trypanosoma frobeniusi Weissenborn, 1911 Trypanosoma somaliense Maroglio, 1911 Trypanosoma cellii Martogio, 1911 Trypaonsoms multiforme Kinghorne et al., 1913 Trypaonson randae van Saceghem, 1921 Trypanosoma urundiense Chardome & Peel, 1967 Trypanosoma berghei Chardome & Peel, 1967 Trypanosoma mossosense Chardom & Peel, 1967

Infection process

T. congolense causes anemia. Nok et al., 2003 find T. congolense to alter the surfaces of erythrocytes which may contribute to this effect.^[5]

Drug resistance

Individuals isolated from Boran cattle in the Gibe River Valley in southwest Ethiopia showed universal resistance between July 1989 and February 1993.^[6] This likely indicates a permanent loss of function in this area for the tested trypanocides, diminazene aceturate, isometamidium chloride, and homidium chloride.^[6]