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Haemolymph lectin and the maturation of trypanosome infections in tsetse
Author(s) -
WELBURN SUSAN,
MAUDLIN IAN
Publication year - 1990
Publication title -
medical and veterinary entomology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.028
H-Index - 82
eISSN - 1365-2915
pISSN - 0269-283X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2915.1990.tb00258.x
Subject(s) - midgut , biology , hemolymph , lectin , trypanosoma brucei , trypanosomiasis , african trypanosomiasis , parasite hosting , trypanosoma , immune system , microbiology and biotechnology , virology , immunology , ecology , biochemistry , larva , world wide web , computer science , gene
. The tsetse immune system has recently been shown to be involved in trypanosome maturation; lectin secreted in the midgut, normally responsible for preventing the establishment of midgut infections, induces established midgut trypanosomes to mature. We now show that a second lectin, present in tsetse haemolymph, is essential to complete the maturation process. Interactions between tsetse lectins and parasite surface coats probably determine trypanosome transmissibility and may be partly responsible for the distribution of trypanosomiasis in Africa.