2006-11-06 13:16:00 · 7 answers · asked by ? 1 in Health ➔ Diseases & Conditions ➔ Infectious Diseases
Yes. Bacteria cause it, specifically Trypanosoma protozoa.
Definition
Sleeping sickness (also called trypanosomiasis) is an infection caused by Trypanosoma protozoa; it is passed to humans through the bite of the tsetse fly. If left untreated, the infection progresses to death within months or years.
Description
Protozoa are single-celled organisms considered to be the simplest life form in the animal kingdom. The protozoa responsible for sleeping sickness are a variety that bear numerous flagella (hair-like projections from the cell that help the cell to move). These protozoa exist only on the continent of Africa. The type of protozoa causing sleeping sickness in humans is referred to as the Trypanasoma brucei complex, which can be divided further into Rhodesian (Central and East African) and Gambian (Central and West African) subspecies.
2006-11-06 13:17:40 · answer #1 · answered by urbancoyote 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
parasitic infection caused by a species of parasite, Trypanosoma brucei, which is transmitted to humans through the bite of the tsetse fly. It threatens more than 60 million people in 36 countries of sub-Saharan Africa, 22 of which are among the least developed countries in the world. Between 300,000 and 500,000 people are estimated to suffer from the disease. With early diagnosis, the chance of recovery from African sleeping sickness is good. However, only 10% of patients with African sleeping sickness are accurately diagnosed. There are no effective vaccines, and the drugs used to treat this disease are difficult to administer and often toxic. Untreated cases have a 100% mortality rate.
2006-11-06 21:20:49 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Trypanosoma cruzii, a protozoa
Edit: it IS the brucei species, the cruzi species is the cause of Chagas' disease, my bad.
A protozoa is eukaryotic
A bacteria is prokaryotic, both small to the eye, but vastly different.
2006-11-06 21:18:32 · answer #3 · answered by finaldx 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The tsetse fly, I believe. It carries the parasite or bacteria through its bite.
2006-11-06 21:23:07 · answer #4 · answered by hopflower 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
trypanasoma gambiasae i thought
2006-11-07 07:14:08 · answer #5 · answered by bad tooth 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
sleeping in Africa
2006-11-06 21:17:54 · answer #6 · answered by Soup Notzee 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
turkey with aids on it?
2006-11-06 21:23:22 · answer #7 · answered by taylor 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋