{"title":"The underappreciated role of antigenic drift in Trypanosoma brucei immune evasion.","authors":"Jaclyn E Smith, Monica R Mugnier","doi":"10.1016/j.pt.2026.07.012","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Trypanosoma brucei is an extracellular pathogen that evades the host antibody response through antigenic variation of its variant surface glycoprotein (VSG) coat. It has long been believed that this immune evasion is achieved primarily by replacing the expressed VSG coat with a completely distinct antigen, resulting in complete immune evasion. However, recent evidence suggests that the parasite preferentially diversifies expressed VSGs by introducing small sequence changes through recombination. These modifications appear to accumulate until complete immune evasion is achieved. In this opinion article, we propose that the concepts of antigenic drift and shift, commonly used in the field of influenza research, apply well to antigenic variation in T.brucei and better reflect the complex nature of immune evasion in this pathogen.</p>","PeriodicalId":23327,"journal":{"name":"Trends in parasitology","volume":" ","pages":"820-828"},"PeriodicalIF":7.6000,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Trends in parasitology","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pt.2026.07.012","RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2026/8/8 0:00:00","PubModel":"Epub","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"PARASITOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Trypanosoma brucei is an extracellular pathogen that evades the host antibody response through antigenic variation of its variant surface glycoprotein (VSG) coat. It has long been believed that this immune evasion is achieved primarily by replacing the expressed VSG coat with a completely distinct antigen, resulting in complete immune evasion. However, recent evidence suggests that the parasite preferentially diversifies expressed VSGs by introducing small sequence changes through recombination. These modifications appear to accumulate until complete immune evasion is achieved. In this opinion article, we propose that the concepts of antigenic drift and shift, commonly used in the field of influenza research, apply well to antigenic variation in T.brucei and better reflect the complex nature of immune evasion in this pathogen.
期刊介绍：
Since its inception as Parasitology Today in 1985, Trends in Parasitology has evolved into a highly esteemed review journal of global significance, reflecting the importance of medical and veterinary parasites worldwide. The journal serves as a hub for communication among researchers across all disciplines of parasitology, encompassing endoparasites, ectoparasites, transmission vectors, and susceptible hosts.
Each monthly issue of Trends in Parasitology offers authoritative, cutting-edge, and yet accessible review articles, providing a balanced and comprehensive overview, along with opinion pieces offering personal and novel perspectives. Additionally, the journal publishes a variety of short articles designed to inform and stimulate thoughts in a lively and widely-accessible manner. These include Science & Society (discussing the interface between parasitology and the general public), Spotlight (highlighting recently published research articles), Forum (presenting single-point hypotheses), Parasite/Vector of the Month (featuring a modular display of the selected species), Letter (providing responses to recent articles in Trends in Parasitology), and Trendstalk (conducting interviews). Please note that the journal exclusively publishes literature reviews based on published data, with systematic reviews, meta-analysis, and unpublished primary research falling outside our scope.
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