Diagnosis and Treatment of Trypanosoma brucei
A special issue of Microorganisms (ISSN 2076-2607). This special issue belongs to the section "Parasitology".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 12 December 2024 | Viewed by 62
Special Issue Editor
Interests: trypanosomes; calcium signaling; chemotherapy
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The Trypanosoma brucei group of parasites is the causative agent of sleeping sickness or Human African trypanosomiasis (HAT), as well as nagana in cattle. These diseases are endemic in sub-Saharan Africa, and they are generally fatal if untreated. No vaccines are available. Current chemotherapy rests upon the use of six drugs, including suramin, pentamidine, melarsoprol, eflornithine, nifurtmox, and fexinidazole, but remains unsatisfactory especially for advanced cases. Furthermore, the development of drug resistance makes finding new chemotherapeutic agents imperative.
The parasites are transmitted to humans by the bites of infected tsetse flies. They initially replicate in subcutaneous tissue, blood, and lymph, and then cross the blood–brain barrier into the central nervous system (CNS). The early diagnosis of HAT is crucial for effective treatment because the pharmacological treatment of CNS-stage disease can be complex and very toxic; however, conventional procedures, such as serological and microscopic tests of blood or lymph node aspirates, are time-consuming and unreliable. The development of rapid, reliable, and economic diagnostic tools is mandatory.
The aim of this Special Issue is to present recent progress in the diagnosis and treatment of HAT and nagana, including new diagnostic tools and methods, drug resistance, and new drugs as well as treatment strategies. We will accept research articles, reviews, and short communications.
Dr. Guozhong Huang
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Microorganisms is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- Trypanosoma brucei
- trypanosomiasis
- sleeping sickness
- Nagana
- chemotherapy
- drug resistance
- diagnosis
- treatment
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.