Lv. Kirchhoff, AMERICAN TRYPANOSOMIASIS (CHAGAS-DISEASE) AND AFRICAN TRYPANOSOMIASIS(SLEEPING SICKNESS), Current opinion in infectious diseases, 7(5), 1994, pp. 542-546
American trypanosomiasis (Chagas' disease) and African trypanosomiasis
(sleeping sickness) are caused by protozoan parasites primarily trans
mitted to humans by insects. These illnesses are major public health p
roblems in many developing countries. Considerable progress has been m
ade in reducing transmission of these parasites through vector control
, and this approach currently offers the best hope for long-term reduc
tion in the numbers of new cases. Drug treatment is unsatisfactory for
both these diseases; basic research on their causative organisms may
lead to new therapeutic agents through rational drug design.