Question

Which one of the following is a protozoan disease?
A) African sleeping sickness
B) Measles
C) Cholera
D) Taeniasis

Answer 1

To answer this question, one should know the causative agents of all the given diseases. As we know, measles, cholera, and taeniasis are caused by non-protozoan organisms.

Complete Answer:
Trypanosoma brucei is a protozoan which causes a disease called African sleeping sickness, the disease is also called African trypanosomiasis. The vector for this disease is a type of fly known as tsetse fly. Humans get infected upon getting a bite from infected fly, the diseases gets transmitted from the fly into human
The initial stages of this disease can be noticed as fevers, headaches, joint pains, and itchiness which might start appearing one to several weeks after the bite. The second stage begins after a few weeks to some months later with symptoms like confusion, improper coordination, numbness, and trouble sleeping. For diagnosis, a blood smear or the fluid of a lymph node are tested. In order to tell the difference between first and second stage disease a lumbar puncture is often needed.
The disease can be prevented by keeping a check on population by screening it with blood tests for the disease. Treatment of the disease is possible if the disease gets detected at an early stage and before the occurrence of neurological symptoms. If left untreated, sleeping sickness typically results in death.

Thus, the correct answer is- A. African sleeping sickness.

Note: The disease is named as African sleeping sickness because the vector fly is native to Africa. Infection in humans can be of two types, Trypanosoma brucei gambiense (TbG) and Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense (TbR).