Authors

E Mararo ¹ University of Edinburgh, UK

Discussion

Trypanosomes are parasites that cause diseases in humans and animals throughout Sub-Saharan Africa. The main cause of livestock trypanosomiasis are Trypanosoma congolense and T. vivax. With no available vaccine and few chemotherapeutic options, new chemotherapies are needed to improve agricultural production in endemic areas. Most understanding of trypanosome biology comes from the human-infective subspecies of Trypanosoma brucei with only a few studies on T. congolense. This study aimed to compare redox balance pathways in T. brucei and T. congolense using multi-omics approaches to identify candidate genes/pathways required for parasite survival in response to oxidative stress. Preliminary data show that two trypanosome species exhibit differential sensitivity to a nitric oxide donor (SNAP) and LPS-stimulated macrophages. Metabolomics revealed that the oxidative stress response pathways – pentose phosphate pathway and ketoacid production pathways – differ between trypanosome species, necessitating further investigation. These findings point to differences in the ability of the two species to respond to oxidative stress, which has implications for host-trypanosome infection dynamics. Future research will aim to characterize candidate pathways/genes essential for oxidative stress response in both species and their impact on macrophage function in vitro.