Animal Trypanosomiasis in Eastern Africa, 1949

Abstract

The trypanosomiases form a group of allied diseases, each of which is due to infection with a specific trypanosome. By all criteria the following trypanosomes causing disease of animals in East and Central Africa are good species: Trypanosoma theileri, T. congolense, T. simice, T. vivax, T. uniforme and T. evansi. In spite of its close relationship with T. evansi, almost everyone considers T. brucei was also a good species. These are the trypanosomes with which East African veterinarians may have to deal, and so the diseases to which they give rise are described fairly fully. In addition, there are two trypanosomes, T. gambiens (!l and T. rhodesiense, whose taxonomic positions are uncertain because they are morphologically identical with T. brucei, but which differ from it by being pathogenic to man, and differ from each other by somewhat inconstant biological characters. As, however, these names are still in general and well-understood use they also have been referred to as though they were good species, and their actions on domestic animals have been described..