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Posted: 17th December 2013

Parasite signals could aid sleeping sickness fight
Scientists uncover messaging systems used by parasites

A new discovery may help fight the spread of sleeping sickness, scientists believe, by providing insights on how disease-causing parasites communicate with one another.

Research led by the University of Edinburgh suggests new drugs could be developed to interrupt the communication between infectious microorganisms.

"Parasites are adept at communicating with one another to promote their survival in our bodies and ensure their spread," explained Professor Keith Matthews of the university's School of Biological Sciences, who led the research.

"But by manipulating their messages, new ways to combat these infections are likely to emerge."

More than 69 million people in Africa are at risk of becoming infected with sleeping sickness, which is transmitted by the tsetse fly. The disease, as its name suggests, disrupts sleep patterns and if left untreated can damage the nervous system leading to coma, organ failure and death.

Scientists say the parasites, which are known as African trypanosomes, multiply in the bloodstream during infection and communicate with one another by releasing a small molecule.

Once levels of this molecule are high enough, this works as a signal to stop the parasites from replicating and to change into a form that can be picked up by biting flies and spread.

Edinburgh researchers have managed to uncover key components of this messaging systems by using a technique known as gene silencing. This allowed them to identify genes that are used for replying to signals and the mechanisms involved in this.

Carried out in collaboration with the University of Dundee, the research has been published in the journal Nature.



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