21 December 2013
Parasitic Free Pass
Sleeping sickness kills thousands of people annually in sub-Saharan Africa. Usually transmitted by the tsetse fly, the culprit is a parasite called Trypanosoma brucei, which multiplies wildly in the blood before moving on to the brain. Scientists are figuring out how the parasite undermines the host’s immune system. They’ve found that it tricks the body’s protectors to give it a free meal and an easy ride. During the early stages of infection in mice, T. brucei releases a protein called TbKHC1. This gloms onto a receptor on myeloid white blood cells – pictured here in a mouse liver, with T. brucei in blue – to stimulate the production of parasite-sustaining nutrients. The same protein later stops myeloid cells from making nitric oxide to kill the parasite. If researchers can find a way to block TbKHC1, they could potentially boost immunity against this deadly invader.
Written by
Search The Archive
Submit An Image
Like us on Facebook
Follow on Twitter
Follow on Tumblr
Follow on Instagram
What is BPoD?
BPoD stands for Biomedical Picture of the Day. Managed by the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences until Jul 2023, it is now run independently by a dedicated team of scientists and writers. The website aims to engage everyone, young and old, in the wonders of biology, and its influence on medicine. The ever-growing archive of more than 4000 research images documents over a decade of progress. Explore the collection and see what you discover. Images are kindly provided for inclusion on this website through the generosity of scientists across the globe.
BPoD is also available in Catalan at www.bpod.cat with translations by the University of Valencia.