The Parasite and the Protector

An immune cell tangles with a protozoan parasite in a life or death struggle. The ribbon like parasite isTrypanosoma brucei, a microscopic menace thatcauses African sleeping sickness. The parasite is transmitted by the bite of the tsetse fly. New research, published June 14, 2012 online by the journal Science, finds that once in the body, this parasite is well adapted to give the immune system the slip. By releasing certain messenger chemicals, the parasite can shut down the anti trypanosome proteins in immune cells.