Contributions of Ultrastructural Studies to the Cell Biology of Trypanosmatids: Targets for Anti-Parasitic Drugs

Abstract

Protozoan parasites cause disease in humans worldwide, and many fall into the genera Trypanosoma and Leishmania; these parasites are responsible for African trypanosomiasis, Chagas disease and the different forms of Leishmaniasis. Strategies for the development of new drugs against these protozoans have been based on their cell biol- ogy and biochemistry complemented by the use of electron microscopy. Trypanosoma and Leishmania have special orga- nelles that are involved in metabolic pathways, which are very distinct from those in mammalian cells; these organelles are potential drug targets. Scanning and transmission electron microscopy can identify not only the target organelles but also alterations to the cell surface and ultrastructural changes that characterize distinct forms of programmed cell death.