Discussion

Livestock rearing is an integral component of farming systems and contributes significantly to food and economic security in developing countries. Trypanosomiasis is the most economically important constraint to livestock productivity in sub-Saharan Africa. In Ghana, the most common trypanosome species which have been detected in cattle include;Trypanosoma brucei, T. congolense, T. vivax and T. simiae. The prevalence of the disease in cattle is estimated between 5-50%. Despite the impact of the disease, there is no study on lifetime infections with trypanosomes in cattle in Ghana. This study aims to characterise trypanosome species throughout the natural infection cycle in cattle in Ghana over a 2 year period. Two herds of cattle (20 each) at Accra and Adidome have been selected based on their geographical location, tsetse fly density, prevalence of trypanosomiasis and the breed of cattle available. Blood is collected at approximately five (5) weeks intervals and the infecting trypanosomes are identified and characterised using internal transcribed spacer (ITS)-based nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and multiplex nested PCR targeting part of the trypanosome tubulin gene cluster. The identification is further confirmed by nucleotide sequencing. Preliminary data shows Trypanosoma theileri and Trypanosoma vivax as the major infecting species at the Accra and Adidome sites, respectively. However, Trypanosoma brucei brucei, which was previously reported to be prevalent in Ghana, was not detected. The data generated from this study will provide invaluable information on the biology of trypanosome infection and help inform control measures in the infected area in Ghana.