In: Biology
What role does antibody play in Trypanosoma brucei infections? What role does VSG play in T. brucei infections? Using your knowledge of antibodies explain how the trypanosome survive within the host to ensure transmission to new hosts? How does the parasite evade the host immune system?
UPon infection by the Trypanosoma brucei iinfection, the body generates humoral response or adaptice immune response. This resonse constitutes release of antibody against specific antigens on the Trypanasomes to clear them out from the body.
VSG is an antigenic capsular coat that helps the parasite to evade host immune response.
T, brucei expresses VSG, an antigenic capsule that coveres the parasities. Since this capsules has antigenic properties, the body recognses them and produces antibody against them for humoral response and also generates immunological memory agaisnt them. However, these parasites are much more advaced in that they constantly shed a particular form VSG coat and quickly express a second form of the same coat with slight modifcation through constant re-arangement. This prevent their recognition by the existing antibodies impossible and thus allows them to evade the host immune response.