Topic
Animal trypanosomiasis
About: Animal trypanosomiasis is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 180 publications have been published within this topic receiving 4834 citations. The topic is also known as: nagana & nagana pest.
Papers published on a yearly basis
Papers
TL;DR: This chapter discusses the available information on the aspects of trypanotolerance, with regard to cattle, sheep, goats, wildlife, and man, and describes experimental results derived from mouse models and the relevance of these models to trypanosomiasis of livestock.
Abstract: Publisher Summary The exploitation of genetic resistance to disease is an important consideration in livestock development programs, where conventional disease control measures are not effective or are too costly. Such an approach may be directly applicable to African animal trypanosomiasis. In African trypanosomiasis, the control measures currently in use include diagnosis and treatment, chemoprophylaxis, and control or eradication of tsetse with insecticides. At present, there is no effective field vaccine available against African trypanosomiasis. The major constraints to the development of a vaccine include the existence of the different species of trypanosomes and of different serodemes within the same species, all with the capability of producing different repertoires of variable antigen types (VATS). This chapter discusses the available information on the aspects of trypanotolerance, with regard to cattle, sheep, goats, wildlife, and man. It describes experimental results derived from mouse models and the relevance of these models to trypanosomiasis of livestock. The genetic resistance to trypanosomiasis is not necessarily associated with low productivity. Trypanotolerance is not a stable characteristic, and evidence suggests that it can be supplemented or reduced by a number of factors affecting the host and its environment, which include age and sex; maternally-derived immunity, intensity of challenge, virulence, previous exposure, stress, and susceptibility to other diseases. Investigations of trypanotolerance also represent an exciting approach to the important interactions between host and parasite. Trypanotolerance exists as an innate characteristic and that it is probably inherited as a dominant trait. While the level of trypanotolerance can be reduced under certain circumstances, it can also be enhanced, for example, by previous exposure. Therefore, there is hope that it may be possible in the future to supplement the level of trypanotolerance both by genetic selection and by immunological or therapeutic procedures.
315 citations
1 Jan 2000
TL;DR: In this article, the authors show that trypanosomiasis constrains agricultural production in areas of Africa that hold the continent's greatest potential for expanded agricultural production, and that a 50% increase in the livestock population would increase the total value of agricultural production by 10%.
Abstract: African animal trypanosomiasis constrains agricultural production in areas of Africa that hold the continent’s greatest potential for expanded agricultural production. Compared to animals kept in trypanosomiasis free areas, animals kept in areas of moderate risk of trypanosomiasis have lower calving rates, lower milk yields, higher rates of calf mortality, and require more frequent treatment with preventive and curative doses of trypanocidal drugs. At the herd level, trypanosomiasis reduces milk offtake, live animal offtake and the work efficiency of oxen used for cultivation. Herds of trypanosusceptible livestock can be devastated by sudden exposure to high levels of trypanosomiasis risk. Trypanosomiasis also affects where people live, the way they manage their livestock and the number of animals that they keep. In the tsetse-infested areas as a whole, trypanosomiasis reduces the offtake of meat and milk by at least 50%. And by generally constraining farmers from the overall benefits of livestock to farming -less efficient nutrient cycling, less access to animal traction, lower income from milk and meat sales, less access to liquid capital -trypanosomiasis reduces yields, area cultivated, and the efficiency of resource allocation. It is estimated that a 50% increase in the livestock population would increase the total value of agricultural production by 10%. The potential benefits of trypanosomiasis control thus appear to be highest in areas where there is good potential for integrating livestock into profitable and sustainable mixed crop-livestock farming systems. This conclusion has clear implications for the development and implementation of the Action Plan for the Programme Against African Trypanosomiasis.
264 citations
TL;DR: The nature of the reservoir community for trypanosomiasis in the absence of influence from domesticated hosts was characterised and a number of significant risk factors interact to influence infection rates in wildlife including taxonomy, habitat and blood meal preference.
Abstract: Background
Animal and human trypanosomiasis are constraints to both animal and human health in Sub-Saharan Africa, but there is little recent evidence as to how these parasites circulate in wild hosts in natural ecosystems. The Luangwa Valley in Zambia supports high densities of tsetse flies (Glossina species) and is recognised as an historical sleeping sickness focus. The objective of this study was to characterise the nature of the reservoir community for trypanosomiasis in the absence of influence from domesticated hosts.
124 citations
TL;DR: Trypanosomiasis is now endemic on the Jos Plateau showing high prevalence in cattle and is influenced by seasonality, altitude and migration practices, all of which affect the epidemiology of the disease.
Abstract: Trypanosomiasis is a widespread disease of livestock in Nigeria and a major constraint to the rural economy. The Jos Plateau, Nigeria was free from tsetse flies and the trypanosomes they transmit due to its high altitude and the absence of animal trypanosomiasis attracted large numbers of cattle-keeping pastoralists to inhabit the plateau. The Jos Plateau now plays a significant role in the national cattle industry, accommodating approximately 7% of the national herd and supporting 300,000 pastoralists and over one million cattle. However, during the past two decades tsetse flies have invaded the Jos Plateau and animal trypanosomiasis has become a significant problem for livestock keepers. In 2008 a longitudinal two-stage cluster survey on the Jos Plateau. Cattle were sampled in the dry, early wet and late wet seasons. Parasite identification was undertaken using species-specific polymerase chain reactions to determine the prevalence and distribution bovine trypanosomiasis. Logistic regression was performed to determine risk factors for disease. The prevalence of bovine trypanosomiasis (Trypanosoma brucei brucei, Trypanosoma congolense savannah, Trypanosoma vivax) across the Jos Plateau was found to be high at 46.8% (39.0 – 54.5%) and significant, seasonal variation was observed between the dry season and the end of the wet season. T. b. brucei was observed at a prevalence of 3.2% (1% – 5.5%); T. congolense at 27.7% (21.8% - 33.6%) and T. vivax at 26.7% (18.2% - 35.3%). High individual variation was observed in trypanosomiasis prevalence between individual villages on the Plateau, ranging from 8.8% to 95.6%. Altitude was found to be a significant risk factor for trypanosomiasis whilst migration also influenced risk for animal trypanosomiasis. Trypanosomiasis is now endemic on the Jos Plateau showing high prevalence in cattle and is influenced by seasonality, altitude and migration practices. Attempts to successfully control animal trypanosomiasis on the Plateau will need to take into account the large variability in trypanosomiasis infection rates between villages, the influence of land use, and husbandry and management practices of the pastoralists, all of which affect the epidemiology of the disease.
124 citations
TL;DR: Primers complementary to the conserved regions of trypanosomal small subunit ribosomal RNA (ssu rRNA) genes were used to amplify variable segments of the gene and tentatively identified two newTrypanosome species and subspecies in four species of tsetse from two areas of Tanzania.
98 citations
Related Topics (5)
Performance Metrics
| Year | Papers |
|---|---|
| 2021 | 13 |
| 2020 | 11 |
| 2019 | 8 |
| 2018 | 7 |
| 2017 | 9 |
| 2016 | 4 |