Animal African Trypanosomiasis in humans; an emerging zoonosis?

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Sörge Kelm
• Subject Area: Parasitology and Biology of Tropical Infectious Disease Pathogens
• Term: from 2017 to 2023
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 347702735

Human African Trypanosomiasis (HAT) is known to be caused by two subspecies of try­pa­no­so­mes: T. brucei gambiense and T. b. rhodesiense, which have acquired the ability to infect humans. Most other trypanosomes, which are responsible for animal trypanosomosis, such as T. b. brucei, T. congolense, and T. vivax, have been thought of as infective only to animals. We have found DNA traces of the animal pathogen T, congolense in humans loving in a remote area of Cameroon, suggesting that these may develp in a new human pathogen, a typical zoonosis. The overall aim of the project is to understand the processes leading to adaptation of animal pathogenic trypanosomes in humans.In accordance with this aim, the following four aspects will be addressed in the two years of the application period:Identification and characterisation of a potential zoonotic trypanosome The impact of the presence of zoonotic trypanosomes on human healthThe occurrence of potentially zoonotic trypanosomes in an active HAT location The occurrence of potentially zoonotic parasites in an area, where no recent HAT cases have been reported

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• International Connection: Cameroon, Chad, Ghana, Nigeria
• Major Instrumentation: Isothermal DNA / RNA Amplification System
• Instrumentation Group: 1500 Verbrennungsöfen für Makro- und Mikroanalyse
• International Co-Applicants: Professor Dr. Mbunkah Daniel Achukwi; Dr. Kingsley Badu; Dr. Thaddeus Gbem (†); Hassane Mahamat Hassane, Ph.D.