sleeping sickness
Members of the genus Trypanosoma are flagellate protozoa that cause sleeping sickness , which is common in Africa. They also cause Chagas disease , which is common in South America. The parasites are spread by insect vectors. The vector for Chagas disease is shown in Figure below . Trypanosoma parasites enter a persons blood when the vector bites. Then they spread to other tissues and organs. The diseases may be fatal without medical treatment.