ReviewPLoS neglected tropical diseases2008
The natural progression of Gambiense sleeping sickness: what is the evidence?
Review in PLoS neglected tropical diseases, 2008. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 42 papers.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
42 citing papers in PubMed.
- Unravelling human trypanotolerance: IL8 is associated with infection control whereas IL10 and TNFα are associated with subsequent disease development.PLoS pathogens · 2014Trial
- Development and validation of a sample-to-result real time multiplex RT-PCR test for human African trypanosomiasis and arboviral febrile illnesses in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.BMC infectious diseases · 2026Observational
- Development of a camelid single-domain antibody-based antigen detection assay for the pan-specific diagnosis of active human and animalJournal of clinical microbiology · 2025Article
- Article
- Comparison of stochastic and deterministic models for gambiense sleeping sickness at different spatial scales: A health area analysis in the DRC.PLoS computational biology · 2024Article
- Single cell and spatial transcriptomic analyses reveal microglia-plasma cell crosstalk in the brain during Trypanosoma brucei infection.Nature communications · 2022Article
- Costs and Outcomes of Integrated Human African Trypanosomiasis Surveillance System Using Rapid Diagnostic Tests, Democratic Republic of the Congo.Emerging infectious diseases · 2021Article
- Accelerating elimination of sleeping sickness from the Guinean littoral through enhanced screening in the post-Ebola context: A retrospective analysis.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2021Article
- Quantifying epidemiological drivers of gambiense human African Trypanosomiasis across the Democratic Republic of Congo.PLoS computational biology · 2021Article
- Cost of a new method of active screening for human African trypanosomiasis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2020Article
- The complex health seeking pathway of a human African trypanosomiasis patient in Côte d'Ivoire underlines the need of setting up passive surveillance systems.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2020Article
- Screening Marine Natural Products for New Drug Leads against Trypanosomatids and Malaria.Marine drugs · 2020Review
- Gambiense Human African Trypanosomiasis Sequelae after Treatment: A Follow-Up Study 12 Years after Treatment.Tropical medicine and infectious disease · 2020Article
- Village-scale persistence and elimination of gambiense human African trypanosomiasis.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2019Article
- Human inborn errors of immunity to infection affecting cells other than leukocytes: from the immune system to the whole organism.Current opinion in immunology · 2019Review
- Association of APOL1 renal disease risk alleles with Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense infection outcomes in the northern part of Malawi.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2019Article
- A mathematical model for evaluating the role of trypanocide treatment of cattle in the epidemiology and control ofParasite epidemiology and control · 2019Article
- Association between IL1 gene polymorphism and human African trypanosomiasis in populations of sleeping sickness foci of southern Cameroon.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2019Article
- Candidate genes-based investigation of susceptibility to Human African Trypanosomiasis in Côte d'Ivoire.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2017Article
- Candidate gene polymorphisms study between human African trypanosomiasis clinical phenotypes in Guinea.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2017Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Gambiense human African trypanosomiasis (HAT, sleeping sickness) is widely assumed to be 100% pathogenic and fatal. However, reports to the contrary exist, and human trypano-tolerance has been postulated. Furthermore, there is uncertainty about the actual duration of both stage 1 and stage 2 infection, particularly with respect to how long a patient remains infectious. Understanding such basic parameters of HAT infection is essential for optimising control strategies based on case detection. We considered the potential existence and relevance of human trypano-tolerance, and explored the duration of infectiousness, through a review of published evidence on the natural progression of gambiense HAT in the absence of treatment, and biological considerations. Published reports indicate that most gambiense HAT cases are fatal if untreated. Self-resolving and asymptomatic chronic infections probably constitute a minority if they do indeed exist. Chronic carriage, however, deserves further study, as it could seed renewed epidemics after control programmes cease.
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Registered trials
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