Trypanosomiasis MCQs

1. Trypanosomiasis, also known as sleeping sickness, is caused by which parasite?

a) Plasmodium
b) Entamoeba
c) Trypanosoma (CORRECT)
d) Leishmania
e) Giardia
2. The primary vector for transmitting African trypanosomiasis is:
a) Mosquito
b) Tsetse fly (CORRECT)
c) Kissing bug
d) Sandfly
e) Tick
3. In the first stage of African trypanosomiasis, patients may experience which of the
following symptoms?
a) Fever, headache, and joint pain (CORRECT)
b) Diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting
c) Muscle weakness, paralysis, and tremors
d) Confusion, personality changes, and coma
e) Skin rash, itching, and swelling
4. Which of the following is NOT a virulence factor of Trypanosoma?
a) Surface coat (variant surface glycoprotein)
b) Cysteine proteases
c) Lysozymes (CORRECT)
d) Evasion of the host immune response
e) Antioxidant defense
5. The parasite responsible for Chagas disease (American trypanosomiasis) is:
a) Trypanosoma brucei
b) Trypanosoma gambiense
c) Trypanosoma cruzi (CORRECT)
d) Trypanosoma rangeli
e) Trypanosoma congolense
6. Which stage of Chagas disease is typically asymptomatic?
a) Acute stage (CORRECT)
b) Chronic stage
c) Both stages
d) Neither stage
e) It depends on the severity of the infection
7. The immune response against trypanosomiasis involves which of the following?
a) Innate immune response only
b) Adaptive immune response only
c) Both innate and adaptive immune responses (CORRECT)
d) Neither innate nor adaptive immune response
e) The immune response is not involved
8. Phagocytosis of circulating trypanosomes is a role played by which immune cell?
 a) B cells
b) Macrophages (CORRECT)
c) Dendritic cells
d) Neutrophils
e) Eosinophils
9. Antibodies produced by B cells target which molecule on the surface of Trypanosoma?
a) Flagellum
b) Variant surface glycoprotein (VSG) (CORRECT)
c) Kinetoplast
d) Trypanothione reductase
e) Cytoskeleton
10. Which immune evasion mechanism allows Trypanosoma to escape antibody recognition?
a) Encapsulation
b) Antigenic variation of VSG (CORRECT) c) Secretion of toxins
d) Increased motility
e) Downregulation of metabolism
11. Microscopic examination of which body fluid is most useful for diagnosing early-stage
African trypanosomiasis?
a) Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)
b) Urine
c) Blood (CORRECT)
d) Saliva
e) Stool
12. A complete blood count (CBC) may reveal which abnormalities in a patient with
trypanosomiasis?
a) Increased red blood cell count
b) Increased white blood cell count
c) Anemia, leukopenia, and thrombocytopenia (CORRECT) d) Normal blood cell counts
e) It depends on the specific type of trypanosomiasis
13. An immunofluorescence antibody test (IFAT) is a type of: **
a) Microscopic examination
b) Hematological examination
c) Serological test (CORRECT)
d) PCR test
e) Parasite culture
14. PCR allows for the detection of Trypanosoma in which samples?
a) Blood only
b) Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) only
c) Blood, CSF, or tissue samples (CORRECT)
d) Urine only
e) It cannot detect Trypanosoma
15. Which diagnostic method requires specialized facilities and expertise for confirmation of
trypanosomiasis?
a) Microscopic examination
b) Hematological examination
c) Serological tests
 d) PCR
e) Parasite culture (CORRECT)
16. Lumbar puncture is performed to analyze which body fluid in suspected cases of CNS
involvement in trypanosomiasis?
a) Blood
b) Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) (CORRECT)
c) Urine
d) Saliva
e) Stool
17. Treatment for African trypanosomiasis depends on the stage of the infection. Which
medication is typically used in the first stage?
a) Benznidazole
b) Eflornithine
c) Suramin (CORRECT)
d) Melarsoprol
e) nifurtimox

18. Which drug combination is commonly used to treat second-stage African trypanosomiasis?
a) Suramin and nifurtimox
b) Eflornithine and melarsoprol (CORRECT)
c) Benznidazole and suramin
d) Melarsoprol and nifurtimox
e) Eflornithine and nifurtimox

19. Benznidazole is the primary medication used to treat which form of trypanosomiasis?
a) Acute African trypanosomiasis
b) Chronic African trypanosomiasis
c) Both acute and chronic African trypanosomiasis
d) Chagas disease (American trypanosomiasis) (CORRECT)
e) Neither form of trypanosomiasis

20. Preventive measures against African trypanosomiasis include:

a) Vaccination (NOT YET AVAILABLE)
b) Vector control (insecticide use to control tsetse flies) (CORRECT)
c) Avoiding close contact with wild animals
d) All of the above (CORRECT)
e) None of the above