Improved protocol for aseptic collection and handling procedures of bovine blood diet in areas with special contamination challenges for use in tsetse rearing

Abstract

Importation of blood to support tsetse feeding in Africa is costly and marred by delays, quarantine restrictions and other logistic problems,l while chemical contamination is likely to be encountered in tsetse diet from drug residues arising from treatment of animal diseases in Africa. Further, blood diet collection procedures are not standardized risking the health of the donor animals. We established a blood collection procedure of bovine blood for in vitro tsetse feeding in areas with special contamination challenges that is safe for both donor animals and tsetse flies. Six Orma Baran steers (registered at the Kenya Stud Book, Boran Cattle Breeders Society 2009, Kenya) aged between 12 and 16 months supplied from Kenya Agricultural Research Institute-Trypanosomiasis Research Centre (KARI-TRC), delivered on foot, ,thoroughly. washed with water using a soft brush (PVC, LG Harris and Co (EA) Ltd, Nairobi, Kenya) to remove possible pesticide contamination, dewormed with 10% albendazole and acclimatized for one week before collection of blood could start. The criteria for the selection of steers were healthy looking animals above six months of age and animals recently exposed to treatment, especially antibiotics, were excluded The animals were confined in a well-ventilated, fly-proof barn house partitioned into eight metallic cubicles each measuring 3 x 4.3 x 2.5 (height) m with concrete floor and wood chippings provided as bedding material.