Trypanosoma congolense: Molecular Toolkit and Resources for Studying a Major Livestock Pathogen and Model Trypanosome

The African trypanosomiases are diseases of humans and their livestock caused by trypanosomes carried by bloodsucking tsetse flies. Although the human pathogen Trypanosoma brucei is the best known, other trypanosome species are of greater concern for animal health in sub-Saharan Africa. In particular, Trypanosomacongolense is a major cattle pathogen, which is as amenable to laboratory culture as T. brucei, with the advantage that its whole life cycle can be recapitulated in vitro. Thus, besides being worthy of study in its own right, T. congolense could be useful as a model of trypanosome development. Here we review the biology of T. congolense, highlighting significant and intriguing differences from its sister, T. brucei. An up-to-date compilation of methods for cultivating and genetically manipulating T. congolense in the laboratory is provided, based on published work and current development of methods in our lab, as well as a description of available molecular resources.