The reason why trypanosomes like Trypanosoma brucei are successful invading into the bloodstream is due to...

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The reason why trypanosomes like Trypanosoma brucei aresuccessful invading into the bloodstream is due to antigenicvariation of a homogeneous Variant Surface Glycoprotein (VSG) coat.However, to accomplish this, the trypanosome VSG gene in the activeexpression site is degraded and replaced with the donor VSG gene.Explain why there is not an eventual loss of these VSG genes in thetrypanosome genome over time.

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Only one VSG is expressed by a trypanosomeat a time trypanosomes expressing the same VSG are said to belong to the same variable antigenic type VAT In the blood of a chronically infected mammal there is a hierarchical expression of VATs with some always being detected early in infection and others later Protective immune responses of the host are VATspecific and parasites expressing these VATs are cleared from the blood through complementmediated lysis andor opsonization and the parasitemiadeclines Remission is invariably followed by recrudescence however as trypanosomes expressing other VATs multiply Thus the numbers of trypanosomes detectable in the blood fluctuate wildly such that the infection characteristically consists of a series of parasitaemic peaks Switching from one VAT to another occurs spontaneously it is not induced by the hosts immune See Answer

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