Sleeping sickness parasite. Coloured scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of a Trypanosoma brucei parasite (blue) and white blood cells (red) in a mouse

---

Sleeping sickness parasite. Coloured scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of a Trypanosoma brucei parasite (blue) and white blood cells (red) in a mouse liver. T. brucei is a protozoan and the causative agent of African sleeping sickness. It is transmitted to humans via the bite of the tsetse fly. Initial infection causes fever, joint pain and itching. Once the parasite has crossed into the central nervous system it causes confusion, disturbance of the sleep cycle and reduced coordination. Without treatment African sleeping sickness is fatal. Magnification: x3250 when printed at 10 centimetres wide.

---

Size: 4504px × 3886px
Photo credit: © UNIVERSITE LIBRE DE BRUXELLES/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: african, animal, blood, brucei, cell, cells, coloured, false-coloured, fauna, hepatic, immune, infected, infecting, infection, innate, lethargy, liver, medical, medicine, mouse, nagana, parasite, parasitic, parasitology, pathogen, pathogenic, protist, protozoa, protozoan, sem, sickness, sleeping, system, trypanosoma, trypanosome, trypanosomiasis, vector-borne, white, wildlife