African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness)

What it is

Trypanosomiasis is a parasitic protozoan infection, and it comes in two forms. The African one, T. brucei or T. gambience, is sleeping sickness, it is found in sub-Saharan Africa, and it is transmitted by the tsetse fly. The American one, T. cruzi, is Chaga's disease, it is found in Latin America, and it is transmitted by triatomine bugs.

How it presents

The two findings shown for the African form are a local chancre and Winterbottom's sign, with trypomastigotes in the lymphnode. The photograph of the inoculation site, taken before treatment, is of a nonulcerated, indurated nodule on the medial aspect of the arm.

When fevers are divided by incubation period, African trypanosomiasis is placed with those of more than 21 days, the last name under Rabies, and not with those of less than 21 days.