Difference Between Trypanosoma Cruzi and Trypanosoma Rangeli

Thekey differencebetween Trypanosoma cruzi and Trypanosoma rangeli is thatTrypanosoma cruziis pathogenic to humans whileTrypanosoma rangeliis harmless to humans.

Protozoa is a major group of Kingdom Protista. This group includes animal-like single-cell eukaryotic organisms.Trypanosomais a genus of protozoa that contains about 20 species. Among the 20 species,T. cruziand the two subspecies;Trypanosoma brucei gambienseandT. b. rhodesiense, cause diseases in humans.Trypanosoma rangeliis another species that can be transmitted to humans. But it does not cause a persistent infection and is apparently harmless to humans. BothT. cruziandT. rangeliare parasitic. Both species arepathogenicto insects. Once they infect insects, those insects show difficulties in feeding and show increased mortality. Both species share the same reservoirs andvectors. Using insect vectors,Trypanosoma cruzicauses Chagas disease, which is also known as American trypanosomiasis to humans.

CONTENTS

1.Overview and Key Difference
2.What is Trypanosoma Cruzi
3.What is Trypanosoma Rangeli
4.Similarities Between Trypanosoma Cruzi and Trypanosoma Rangeli
5.Side by Side Comparison – Trypanosoma Cruzi vs Trypanosoma Rangeli in Tabular Form
6.Summary

What is Trypanosoma Cruzi?

Trypanosoma cruziis a species of the protozoa genusTrypanosoma. It is a pathogenic andparasiticspecies.T. cruzicauses Chagas disease in humans. It is transmitted by insect vectors. The insect:Rhodnius prolixusis mainly responsible for the transmission ofT. cruziinto humans. It is a triatomine bug which feeds by sucking blood. This bug tends to bite faces during the night when people are sleeping. Therefore, it is also referred to as “kissing bug”. Once this bug bites and ingests blood, it defecates on the person. Bug faeces containT. cruziand the parasite enters humans through mucous membranes or broken skin and starts the infection.

Chagas disease is seen in areas of Central and South America. Therefore, this disease is also known as American trypanosomiasis. The severity of the Chagas disease varies depending on the age at which a person became infected, the way in which a person acquires the infection, and the particular strain of theT. cruziparasite.

What is Trypanosoma Rangeli?

Trypanosoma rangeliis another species of the genus:Trypanosoma. Similar toT. cruzi, T. rangeliis a parasite. But it is harmless to humans. In other words,T, rangeliis not pathogenic to humans. It is pathogenic to insects: triatomines or Reduviid bugs. BothT. cruziandT. rangelishare same reservoirs and vectors, butT. rangelidoes not cause Chagas disease. However,T. rangeliis a source for misdiagnosis of Chagas disease. This is becauseT. rangelishares surface antigens withT. cruzi. T. rangeliis more frequent thanT. cruzi. Moreover,T. rangelioccur in the same geographical locations ofT. cruzi.

T. rangeliinfects insects, causing increased mortality and difficulties in feeding. Moreover,T. rangeli可以减少人口共生者,导致部分negative impacts on insect development. UnlikeT. cruzi, which multiplies only in the digestive tract,T. rangelimoves from the intestine into the hemocoel and then enters the salivary glands during the development in the insect vector.

What are the Similarities Between Trypanosoma Cruzi and Trypanosoma Rangeli?

• Trypanosoma cruziandTrypanosoma rangeliare two parasitic species which are closely related.
• They are protozoans.
• They are transmitted to humans by insect vectors.
• BothcruziandT. rangeli致病性锥蝽和影响insect development, longevity and survival.
• BothcruziandT. rangelican impair the reproductive performance ofR. prolixus.
• Mixed infections with both parasites species have been reported in humans

What is the Difference Between Trypanosoma Cruzi and Trypanosoma Rangeli?

Trypanosome cruziis a pathogenic protozoan to humans whileTrypanosoma rangeliis harmless to humans. So, this is the difference betweenTrypanosoma cruziandTrypanosoma rangeli.T. cruzicauses chagas disease whileT. rangelidoes not cause Chagas disease.

The below infographic lists the differences betweenTrypanosoma cruziandTrypanosoma rangeli in tabular form.

Summary – Trypanosoma Cruzi vs Trypanosoma Rangeli

T. cruziandT. rangeliare two parasitic protozoa. Both species infect humans, but onlyT. cruzicauses Chagas’ disease.T. rangelican be a source of misdiagnosis of Chagas’ disease. However,T. rangeliis harmless to humans. Both species are pathogenic to insects causing difficulties in feeding and increased mortality. Moreover both these species share hosts, vectors and a large amount of antigenic coat. Thus, this summarizes the difference betweenTrypanosoma cruziandTrypanosoma rangeli.

Reference:

1. Fellet, Maria Raquel, et al. “Effects of Infection by Trypanosoma Cruzi and Trypanosoma Rangeli on the Reproductive Performance of the Vector Rhodnius Prolixus.” PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science,Available here.
2. “Trypanosoma Rangeli.” an Overview | ScienceDirect Topics,Available here.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Trypanosoma cruzi crithidia” By CDC/Dr. Myron G. Schultz – from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Public Health Image Library (PHIL), with identification number #613.Note: (Public Domain) viaCommons Wikimedia