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Landing Para-site
17 September 2016

Landing Para-site

The bite of a blood-sucking tsetse fly often carries a deadly parasite. Trypanosoma brucei (pictured in blue) causes sleeping sickness in thousands of people worldwide – these ones are clinging to an adipocyte (fat cell) in a mouse’s ear. After arriving in their new host, the parasite invaders entangle themselves between skin layers, creating a sort of temporary base where they can reproduce before delving deeper into the body. Researchers found these areas of skin become warmer, perhaps guiding more tsetse flies in to land and bite at the same place. Previous research into sleeping sickness has focused on Trypanosoma brucei circulating in the bloodstream, potentially missing the importance of the skin in aiding infections. Looking for parasites hiding in the dermis may change screening and treatment programmes for sleeping sickness in years to come.

Written by John Ankers

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BPoD stands for Biomedical Picture of the Day. Managed by the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences until Jul 2023, it is now run independently by a dedicated team of scientists and writers. The website aims to engage everyone, young and old, in the wonders of biology, and its influence on medicine. The ever-growing archive of more than 4000 research images documents over a decade of progress. Explore the collection and see what you discover. Images are kindly provided for inclusion on this website through the generosity of scientists across the globe.

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