- This article is about the genus Trypanosoma, for the specific human pathogens see Trypanosoma brucei and Trypanosoma cruzi.
Trypanosoma is a
genus of
kinetoplastids (class Kinetoplastida), a
monophyletic group of unicellular
parasitic flagellate protozoa. The name is derived from the
Greek trypano- (borer) and
soma (body) because of their corkscrew-like motion. Most trypanosomes are heteroxenous (requiring more than one obligatory host to complete life cycle) and most are transmitted via a
vector. Some, such as Trypanosoma equiperdum, are spread by direct contact. The majority of species are transmitted by blood-feeding
invertebrates, but there are different mechanisms among the varying species. In an invertebrate host they are generally found in the
intestine, but normally occupy the
bloodstream or an
intracellular environment in the mammalian host.