Simple antibiotic against sleep disease

2003/02/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Medikuntza

Sleep disease or trypanosomiasis is the most widespread disease in Africa after AIDS and causes many deaths. The cause of the disease is a parasite, the Trypanosoma brucei, which is transmitted by tse-tse flies. Now, researchers at the Johns Hopskins Institute have shown that the antibiotic in triclosan is capable of preventing the reproduction of the parasite.

Although for the moment the test has been conducted in sessions, the results are encouraging. This antibiotic is very common and does not produce side effects of arsenic derivatives used in the treatment of the disease.

Researchers are surprised by the effectiveness of the antibiotic, since antibiotics act against bacteria and T. brucei is not bacteria. However, it seems that the parasite genome has remnants of bacterial genes and that is why the antibiotic affects it.

Now in the triclosa it is being tested if the antibiotic relieves the symptoms of sleep disease. In addition, researchers study whether the parasite develops antibiotic resistance.