Experimental studies on the dispersions of trypanosomes in the blood of infected rats and the probability of tsetse picking up trypanosomes from the dispersions

Abstract

Trypanosomosis is one of the major causes of livestock death that leads to drastic reduction in meat supply in Africa. In this study, three types of dispersion indices were used to detect the dispersion of trypanosomes in the blood of rats. These dispersions included regular, random and contagious dispersions. The dispersion index revealed a contagious dispersion in T. vivax and mixed infection, while T. congolense was regularly dispersed. The trypanosomes in the blood of rats were not randomly dispersed. It was observed that the probability of a tsetse fly picking up infection from the trypanosome dispersions is higher in contagious dispersion, p(5) =0.1027 than regular dispersion p(5) = 0.054. It was also noted that the dispersion of trypanosomes in the blood had direct bearing on the spread of the disease to new foci. Thus, several natural trypanosomiasis in animals arise from mixed infection, which remains economically important in animals in Nigeria as it affects the physical condition and subsequently the market value of such animals.

Keywords: Trypanosomosis, tsetse fly, livestock, rat, dispersion of trypanosomes