Control of Trypanosoma brucei brucei infections in tsetse, Glossina morsitans

Numbers of immature Trypanosoma brucei brucei within a tsetse midgut remain remarkably constant after establishment throughout the course of an infection, irrespective of whether the infection eventually matures. These results suggest a system of self regulation of the parasite population in the insect gut based on a form of programmed cell death which would carry advantages for both the parasite and the vector.