Question

Which disease is caused by a flagellate?

• A. Sleeping sickness
• B. Dysentery
• C. Whooping cough
• D. Jaundice

Answer 1

The correct option is A

Sleeping sickness

The correct option is A:

Explanation of the correct answer:

1. Infection with the flagellate protozoan Trypanosoma brucei gambiense or the closely related subspecies T. brucei rhodesiense, transmitted by the tsetse fly, causes sleeping sickness.
2. It is commonly known as African trypanosomiasis (genus Glossina).

Explanation of the incorrect answer:

Option B: Dysentery

1. Dysentery, often known as bloody flux, is a kind of gastroenteritis characterised by bloody diarrhoea.
2. Fever, stomach pain, and a sense of incomplete defecation are all possible symptoms. Dehydration is a potential complication.

Option C: Whooping cough

1. Pertussis (whooping cough) is a highly contagious respiratory ailment.
2. It's characterised by a strong hacking cough followed by a high-pitched intake of breath that sounds like "whoop" in many people.
3. Whooping cough was once thought to be a paediatric ailment before the vaccination was produced.

Option D: Jaundice

1. Jaundice is a yellowish discoloration of the skin, sclerae (white area of the eye), and other mucous membranes caused by a sickness.
2. Additionally, the colour of bodily fluids may turn yellow. It's also known as icterus in medical terms.

Final answer : Sleeping sickness caused by a flagellate.