Baited-boats: an innovative way to control riverine tsetse, vectors of sleeping sickness in West Africa

Rayaisse, Jean-Baptiste, Salou, Ernest, Courtin, Fabrice, Yoni, Wilfrid, Barry, Issiaka, Dofini, Fabien, Kagbadouno, Moise, Camara, Mamadou, Torr, Steve ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9550-4030 and Solano, Philippe (2015) 'Baited-boats: an innovative way to control riverine tsetse, vectors of sleeping sickness in West Africa'. Parasites & Vectors, Vol 8, e236.

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Abstract

Background

Human African Trypanosomiasis (HAT) is an important neglected tropical disease caused by Trypanosoma spp. parasites transmitted by species of tsetse fly (Glossina spp). The most important vectors of HAT are riverine tsetse and these can be controlled by attracting them to stationary baits such as insecticide-impregnated traps or targets deployed along the banks of rivers. However, the geographical nature of some riverine habitats, particularly mangroves but also extensive lake and river networks, makes deployment of baits difficult and limits their efficacy. It is known that tsetse are attracted by the movement of their hosts. Our hypothesis was that mounting a target on canoes typically used in Africa (‘pirogues’) would produce an effective means of attracting-and-killing riverine tsetse in extensive wetland habitats.

Methods

In Folonzo, southern Burkina Faso, studies were made of the numbers of tsetse attracted to a target (75 × 50 cm) of blue cloth and netting mounted on a pirogue moving along a river, versus the same target placed on the riverbank. The targets were covered with a sticky film which caught tsetse as they contacted the target.

Results

The pirogue-mounted target caught twice as many G. tachinoides and G. p. gambiensis, and 8 times more G. morsitans submorsitans than the stationary one (P < 0.001).

Conclusion

Pirogues are common vehicle for navigating the rivers, lakes and swamps of West Africa. The demonstration that tsetse can be attracted to targets mounted on such boats suggests that pirogues might provide a cost-effective and convenient platform for deploying targets to control tsetse in the mangrove systems of West Africa where HAT persists. Further studies to assess the impact of pirogue-mounted targets on tsetse populations in HAT foci and the protective value of targets for pirogue passengers are recommended.

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information:	The electronic version of this article is the complete one and can be found online at: http://www.parasitesandvectors.com/content/8/1/236
Subjects:	QX Parasitology > Insects. Other Parasites > QX 505 Diptera QX Parasitology > Insects. Other Parasites > QX 600 Insect control. Tick control QX Parasitology > Insects. Other Parasites > QX 650 Insect vectors WA Public Health > Preventive Medicine > WA 110 Prevention and control of communicable diseases. Transmission of infectious diseases WC Communicable Diseases > Tropical and Parasitic Diseases > WC 705 Trypanosomiasis
Faculty: Department:	Biological Sciences > Vector Biology Department
Digital Object Identifer (DOI):	https://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-015-0851-0
Depositing User:	Carmel Bates
Date Deposited:	05 Jun 2015 10:33
Last Modified:	06 Feb 2018 13:10
URI:	https://archive.lstmed.ac.uk/id/eprint/5191

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