The sleeping sickness parasite, which threatens thousands of lives in Kenya each year may soon become extinct, thanks to its unusual sex life.
Researchers from the University of Glasgow's Wellcome Trust Centre for Molecular Parasitology in the United Kingdom have discovered that the main parasite that causes African sleeping sickness has existed for thousands of years without reproducing sexually, thereby increasing its chances of going extinct.
In a study published in the journal eLife, lead author Willie Weir said they discovered that the tsetse fly existed for thousands of years only by subdividing itself without having sex and is now suffering the consequences of this strategy. That type of reproduction is technically called asexual reproduction and is more likely to result into extinction compared to sexual reproduction.
"Sexual reproduction often generates genetic diversity, which promotes long-term survival of the species. This is lacking in the parasite may lead to its extinction," said Dr Weir.
Annette MacLeod, senior author on the paper, added: "Theoretically, this parasite species cannot survive indefinitely without sex and the predicted consequence of this is that it will become extinct in the long-term."
She said identifying this weakness in the parasite could help researchers find ways to develop new forms of treatment for sleeping sickness. "For example, the inability of individuals to share genetic information with each other could hamper the ability of the organism to develop resistance to multiple drugs," she said.
According to the Tsetse and Trypanosomiasis Eradication Council, over 11 million people in Kenya are at a risk of being infected with sleeping sickness. About 38 out of 47 counties are infested with the tsetse fly. People in rural areas who depend on agriculture, fishing, animal husbandry and hunting are most vulnerable to the killer disease. Common symptoms of the disease include confusion, sensory disturbances, poor coordination and disturbances in the sleep cycle.
Without treatment, the disease may easily lead to death.