Difference between Gambian (western) and Rhodesian (eastern) trypanosomiasis
Restricted to well defined regions in Africa, determined by tsetse fly vectors
Early stage: transient sore, fever, oedema, lymphadenopathy, splenomegaly
Late stage: central nervous system abnormalities, abnormal cerebrospinal fluid
Diagnosis: always try to detect the parasite
Repeated thick smears, Buffy coat, mini anion exchange column technique (mAECT)
Lumbar puncture, lymph node aspiration
Indirect: serology (CATT), clinical evidence
Difficult to treat: Pentamidine, Suramin, Arsobal, Eflornitine
Importance of early diagnosis and follow-up
