Health Dictionary Find a Doctor

Winterbottom's sign

File:Winterbottom’s sign.jpg
Winterbottom’s sign – Swollen lymph nodes along back of neck in child with early trypanosomiasis

Winterbottom’s sign is seen in the early phase of African trypanosomiasis, a disease caused by the parasites Trypanosoma brucei rhodiense and Trypanosoma brucei gambiense which is more commonly known as African sleeping sickness. Winterbottom’s sign is the swelling of lymph nodes (lymphadenopathy) along the back of the neck, in the posterior cervical chain of lymph nodes, as trypanosomes travel in the lymphatic fluid and cause inflammation.

References

Template:Med-sign-stub Template:WH Template:WS

Looking for the patient version?

Back to the patient-friendly article

© 2026 MyEClinic – IFTM Institut für Telematik in der Medizin GmbH