The trypanosome responsible for the majority of cases of human trypanosomiasis in Africa is Group 1
Trypanosoma brucei gambiense. Currently the most reliable test for the parasite is based on a single gene, which encodes a 47 kDa receptor-like
T. b. gambiense-specific glycoprotein, TgsGP, expressed in the flagellar pocket of bloodstream forms. Although
TgsGP has been demonstrated in
T. b. gambiense throughout its geographic range, similar genes have been demonstrated in other
T. brucei sspp. isolates, and there are no data on the extent of sequence variation in
TgsGP. Here we have carried out a comparison of
TgsGP sequences in a range of Group 1
T. b. gambiense isolates and compared the gene to homologues in other
T. brucei sspp. in order to provide information to support the use of this gene as the key identification target for Group 1
T. b. gambiense. We demonstrate that the sequence of
TgsGP is well conserved in Group 1
T. b. gambiense across the endemic range of gambian human trypanosomiasis and confirm that this gene is a suitable target for specific detection of this parasite. The
TgsGp-like genes in some isolates of
T. b. brucei,
T. b. rhodesiense and Group 2
T. b. gambiense are closely similar to
VSG Tb10.v4.0178, which may be the ancestral gene from which
TgsGP was derived.
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