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Epizootiology and Molecular Identification of Trypanosome Species in Livestock Ruminants in the Gambia

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Abstract

Introduction

African Animal Trypanosomiasis (AAT) or nagana in animals, is caused by the blood-borne parasitic protozoa called trypanosomes, and is potentially fatal. It is estimated that Africa loses $4‒5 billion annually due to the death of livestock to nagana in the tsetse belt.

Purpose

Although The Gambia lies within this belt, there is scanty data regarding the epizootiology of nagana in The Gambia. Here, records of reported cases of nagana for the period 2010–2019 at the International Trypanotolerance Centre (ITC) in The Gambia were analyzed retrospectively.

Methods

For insights into the current prevalence of AAT, blood samples of 384 cattle, 42 goats, and 59 sheep from the Central River Region (CRR) and Lower River Region (LRR) were analyzed microscopically for parasite identification. Furthermore, trypanosomes were characterized by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using a panel of primers that identify trypanosomes to the level of the species and subspecies by targeting a portion of the internally transcribed spacer-one (ITS-1) of the ribosomal RNA.

Results

The retrospective study indicates that Trypanosoma vivax (66%) and T. congolense (33.4%) were the predominant species. Based on the archive records of ITC, the villages Touba, Misera, and Sambel Kunda all in the CRR of the Gambia are the most burdened with AAT. Microscopic examination of blood samples from cattle showed a prevalence of 1.56%, whereas the PCR-based analysis gave a higher prevalence of 12.5%. The molecular analysis revealed the presence of T. vivax (3.65%), T. congolense kilifi (2.6%), T. b. brucei (1.3%), T. congolense savannah/forest (0.52%), T. b. gambiense (0.52%). Interestingly, 4.43% of mixed infections i.e. multiple trypanosome species in individual animals were recorded. In 18% of the mixed infection cases, T. godfreyi, T. simiae were coinfecting cattle alongside T. congolense. The molecular identification including the phylogenetic analysis implicated T. congolense as the most predominant trypanosome species infecting animals in The Gambia.

Conclusion

The incidence of nagana in The Gambia is documented and the prevalent trypanosomes identified to be T. vivax, different types of T. congolense, and T. brucei including the gambiense subspecie. Finally, nagana is less profound in sheep and goats compared to cattle, with seasonal and regional variations playing a significant role in the disease dynamics.

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Acknowledgements

We want to appreciate the effort of The Gambia Bureau of Statistics, the Department of Livestock Services, and the International Trypanotolerant Center in The Gambia for their invaluable contribution to this work. Finally, we thank Dr. Idowu Aimola and the Late Dr. T.T Gbem both from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria for their helpful comments and assistance in the course of this work.

Funding

This work was supported with funding through the Africa Center of Excellence for Development (ACE Impacts) project to Africa Center of Excellence for Neglected Tropical disease and forensic Biotechnology (ACENTDFB), Ahmadu Bello University, Nigeria, and in part, by the Africa Center of Excellence project under the ministry of higher education science and technology, The Gambia.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Africa Centre of Excellence for Neglected Tropical Diseases and Forensic Biotechnology, Ahmadu Bello University, P.M.B 1044, Zaria, Nigeria

    Alpha Kargbo & Yakubu Kokori Enevene Ibrahim

  2. School of Arts and Sciences, University of The Gambia, MDI Road, Kanifing, P.O. Box 3530, Serrekunda, The Gambia

    Alpha Kargbo

  3. School of Health and Life Sciences, Teesside University, Middlesbrough, TS1 3BX, UK

    Godwin Unekwuojo Ebiloma

  4. Department of Pharmaceutical Microbiology, Ahmadu Bello University, P.M.B 1044, Zaria, Kaduna State, Nigeria

    Yakubu Kokori Enevene Ibrahim

  5. Department of Biochemistry, Ahmadu Bello University, P.M.B 1044, Zaria, Kaduna State, Nigeria

    Gloria Dada Chechet & Emmanuel Oluwadare Balogun

  6. West Africa Livestock Innovation Center (WALIC/ITC), PMB 14, Banjul, The Gambia

    Momodou Jeng

  7. Department of Public Health and Epidemiology, Nigerian Institute of Medical Research, Yaba, P.M. B, Lagos, 2013, Nigeria

    Emmanuel Oluwadare Balogun

  8. Department of Biomedical Chemistry, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Hongo 7-3-1, Bunkyo-Ku, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan

    Emmanuel Oluwadare Balogun

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  1. Alpha Kargbo
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Contributions

AK, EOB performed the experiments; MJ help in the data collection; AK, GUE, and EOB performed data analysis and wrote the manuscript; YKE, EOB, and GDC directed the study. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Emmanuel Oluwadare Balogun.

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Conflict of interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript, or in the decision to publish the results.

Ethical statement

Ethical approval was given by Department of Livestock Services, Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of The Gambia, and also from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Ethical Committee on Animal Use and care (ABUCAUC). All animals used in this study were handled Veterinarians based on ethical guidelines on the use of animals for research purpose as stipulated by the Ministry of Agriculture, The Gambia and ABUCAUC.

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Kargbo, A., Ebiloma, G.U., Ibrahim, Y.K.E. et al. Epizootiology and Molecular Identification of Trypanosome Species in Livestock Ruminants in the Gambia. Acta Parasit. 67, 130–142 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11686-021-00442-z

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