Table of Contents

Trypanosomiasis

Trypanosomiasis is the group of disease caused by protozoa genus trypanosoma affect all domestic animals.

Developmental stage

A blade like form with kinetoplast posterior to the nucleus and usually near the posterior extremity. An undulating membrane is well developed and free flagellum is often present.
This stage usually found in vertebrate host and also in arthropods.

Kinetoplast and axoneme lie anterior to the nucleus and undulating membrane is short.
In few species, this stage found in vertebrate host, but principally in arthropods.

Kinetoplast and axoneme are at the anterior tip of body with no undulating membrane.
It is found in arthropods.

Anterior station development/ Salivarian transmission- highly pathogenic, the trypanosome multiply in digestive tract and proboscis, so new infection is transmitted when feeding. e.g T.congolense, T.vivax and T.brucei
Posterior station development/stercorarian transmission- non pathogenic the multiplication and transformation of trypanosomes occur in gut and the infective forms migrate to the rectum and passed with the faeces. e.g. T.melophagium , T.theileri and T.cruzi

The trypanosomes are transmitted from one mammalin host to another by interrupted feeding of biting insects e.g. Tabanus sp and stomoxys sp.
The trypanosomes transmitted by bite of vampire bat also can occur e.g. T.evansi.
Mechanical transmission can also occur in some salivarian group, transmitted cyclically in tse-tse flies. Eg. T. vivax and T. brucei.
Dog, cat and wild carnivores infected by ingestion of tissue from infected fresh carcass, died of trypanosomiasis.