Analysis of the domestic animal reservoir at a micro-geographical scale, the Fontem sleeping sickness focus (South-West Cameroon).

To better understand the epidemiology of sleeping sickness in two Human African Trypanosomiasis (HAT) sub foci (central and northern sub foci) of the Fontem focus where diversity in the prevalence of Trypanosoma bucei. gambiense was reported in domestic animals and man, 397 domestic animals were sampled in eight villages. Parasitological tests revealed trypanosomes in 86 (21.60%) animals. The CATT test was positive in 254 (64%) animals with the lowest value in dogs. The PCR test revealed T. b. gambiense in 11.55% of pigs, 3.45% of goats and 15.38% of sheep. The T. b. gambiense infection rates were not significantly different between the two sub foci. However, T. b. gambiense was found in animals from all villages of the Northern sub focus while only animals from Menji and Nsoko (Central sub focus) revealed this infection. The detection of T. b. gambiense in animals of the central sub focus was in line with results of medical surveys where HAT patients were detected in the same villages. The absence of patients in the northern sub focus despite the circulation of T. b. gambiense in animals from all villages of this sub focus since several years is surprising and needed more investigations.   Key words: Domestic animals, T. b. gambiense, sleeping sickness, animal reservoir

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