Microscopic image in false color of Trypanosoma brucei surrounded by red blood cells.
Trypanosomes are single-celled parasites that cause diseases such as human African sleeping sickness and Nagana in animals. But they are also used in basic research as a model system to study fundamental biological questions. Researchers of the University of Bern have now investigated how trypanosomes equally distribute their 'power plant' to the daughter cells during cell division. The discovered mechanism potentially opens new avenues for drug interventions. Trypanosomes can cause devastating diseases in people: the sleeping sickness in Africa, Chagas disease in South America and recently also in Europe. They can also affect animals, and cause Nagana in cattle in Africa. There are still no suitable therapies for these diseases.
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