Summary
African trypanosomes are parasites transmitted to the bloodstream of humans and cattle via the bite of the tsetse fly. Infected humans and animals develop African trypanosomiasis, a disease that is fatal if untreated. The parasites cover themselves with different surface proteins depending on whether they are in the mammal or the fly, and these surface proteins are key to the survival of the parasite in both organisms. The scientific goal of this project is to understand the molecular mechanism that allows the parasite to change its surface proteins when it travels from the mammalian bloodstre
