Observational studyPLoS neglected tropical diseases2024
Prevalence of dermal trypanosomes in suspected and confirmed cases of gambiense human African trypanosomiasis in Guinea.
Observational study in PLoS neglected tropical diseases, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
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Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed.
- Human Leukocyte Antigen-G is enriched in presence of trypanosome in the dermis of individuals exposed to gambiense Human African Trypanosomiasis in Guinea and Côte d'Ivoire.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2026Article
- Human African Trypanosomiasis (HAT): Epidemiology, Biological Diagnosis and Treatment: A Review.Acta parasitologica · 2025Review
- Dermal trypanosomes in seropositive suspects of gambiense human African trypanosomiasis in Côte d'Ivoire.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2025Observational
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20 authors.
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Abstract
The skin is an anatomical reservoir for African trypanosomes, yet the prevalence of extravascular parasite carriage in the population at risk of gambiense Human African Trypanosomiasis (gHAT) remains unclear. Here, we conducted a prospective observational cohort study in the HAT foci of Forecariah and Boffa, Republic of Guinea. Of the 18,916 subjects serologically screened for gHAT, 96 were enrolled into our study. At enrolment and follow-up visits, participants underwent a dermatological examination and had blood samples and superficial skin snip biopsies taken for examination by molecular and immuno-histological methods. In seropositive individuals, dermatological symptoms were significantly more frequent as compared to seronegative controls. Trypanosoma brucei DNA was detected in the blood of 67% of confirmed cases (22/33) and 9% of unconfirmed seropositive individuals (3/32). However, parasites were detected in the extravascular dermis of up to 71% of confirmed cases (25/35) and 41% of unconfirmed seropositive individuals (13/32) by PCR and/or immuno-histochemistry. Six to twelve months after treatment, trypanosome detection in the skin dropped to 17% of confirmed cases (5/30), whereas up to 25% of unconfirmed, hence untreated, seropositive individuals (4/16) were still found positive. Dermal trypanosomes were observed in subjects from both transmission foci, however, the occurrence of pruritus and the PCR positivity rates were significantly higher in unconfirmed seropositive individuals in Forecariah. The lower sensitivity of superficial skin snip biopsies appeared critical for detecting trypanosomes in the basal dermis. These results are discussed in the context of the planned elimination of gHAT.
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