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Population genetics of Trypanosoma brucei gambiense, the agent of sleeping sickness in Western Africa.
- Source :
-
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America [Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A] 2009 Jan 06; Vol. 106 (1), pp. 209-14. Date of Electronic Publication: 2008 Dec 23. - Publication Year :
- 2009
-
Abstract
- Human African trypanosomiasis, or sleeping sickness caused by Trypanosoma brucei gambiense, occurs in Western and Central Africa. T. brucei s.l. displays a huge diversity of adaptations and host specificities, and questions about its reproductive mode, dispersal abilities, and effective size remain under debate. We have investigated genetic variation at 8 microsatellite loci of T. b. gambiense strains isolated from human African trypanosomiasis patients in the Ivory Coast and Guinea, with the aim of knowing how genetic information was partitioned within and between individuals in both temporal and spatial scales. The results indicate that (i) migration of T. b. gambiense group 1 strains does not occur at the scale of West Africa, and that even at a finer scale (e.g., within Guinea) migration is restricted; (ii) effective population sizes of trypanosomes, as reflected by infected hosts, are probably higher than what the epidemiological surveys suggest; and (iii) T. b. gambiense group 1 is most likely a strictly clonally reproducing organism.
- Subjects :
- Africa, Western
Animals
Cote d'Ivoire
Guinea
Humans
Microsatellite Repeats
Topography, Medical
Trypanosoma brucei gambiense isolation & purification
Trypanosomiasis, African epidemiology
Trypanosomiasis, African transmission
Genetic Variation
Genetics, Population
Trypanosoma brucei gambiense genetics
Trypanosomiasis, African parasitology
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 1091-6490
- Volume :
- 106
- Issue :
- 1
- Database :
- MEDLINE
- Journal :
- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 19106297
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0811080106