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Trypanosoma are of the class kinetoplastida, a monophyletic group of unicellular parasitic protozoa...

Trypanosoma are of the class kinetoplastida, a monophyletic group of unicellular parasitic protozoa. The name is derived from the Greek trypano (borer) and soma (body) because of their corkscrew-like motion. Trypanosomes infect a variety of hosts and cause various disease, including the fatal disease sleeping sickness in humans. Characteristic of this order is the mitochondrial genome, known as the kinetoplast. It is made up of a highly complex series of catenatated circles and minicircles and require a cohort of proteins for organisation during cell division. In addition, two life cycle forms of Trypanosoma brucei are easy to culture and are genetically pliable. Species of Trypanosoma include the following: Trypanosoma undergo a complex life cycle which includes several different morphological forms. For example, Trypanosoma brucei is transmitted between mammalian hosts through a tsetse fly vector and undergoes a series of morphological and metabolic changes to adapt to these very different environments.