Trypanosoma bouffardiof West African Ploceidae (Aves)

Abstract

Trypanosoma bouffardi Leger & Blanchard, 1911, is described from naturally infected Lagonosticta s. senegala, Estrilda b. bengalus, Vidua chalybeata, Estrilda t. troglodytes and Amadina f. fasciata, all of which are new host records for Nigeria; Vidua chalybeata is a new host record for trypanosomes.There was no significant morphological difference between populations of this trypanosome in the various natural and experimental vertebrate hosts.T. bouffardi was transmissible to nine species of Ploceidae belonging to the three subfamilies Estrilinae, Ploceinae and Viduinae; but not to Pycnonotus barbatus, chickens or pigeons.The parasitaemia produced by infections of T. bouffardi reached 4·1 × 105 parasites/mm3 of blood.Reproduction of the trypanosomes was synchronous and discontinuous and occurred in the blood by unequal binary fission of trypomastigotes. Occasionally longitudinal equal binary fission of trypomastigotes also took place. There was no concentration of dividing forms in the tissues.T. bouffardi did not grow on NNN medium although it has been grown for a short time on the medium described by Yesufu (1970).