A high infection rate of Trypanosoma brucei subgroup in Glossina fuscipes

Abstract

A survey in Busoga District, Uganda, where an outbreak of sleeping sickness was detected, has yielded an infection rate with T. brucei subgroup in G. fuscipes of 4.8%. Isolation of the infected flies was by feeding of the flies on mice, followed by trituration and inoculation of a suspension of the triturated flies into mice. The mice were treated with cyclophosphamide to reduce the immune response. The percentage infection as determined by inoculation of triturate was 4.1%, whilst that by feeding on mice was 1–8%. Amongst the 19 strains of T. brucei subgroup isolated, four were identified as T. rhodesiense by the BIIT method.