Animal trypanosomiasis

Nagana, also known as nagana pest or animal African trypanosomiasis, is a disease of vertebrate animals. The disease is caused by trypanosomes of several species in the genus Trypanosoma. The trypanosomes infect the blood of the vertebrate host, causing fever, weakness, and lethargy, which lead to weight loss and anemia; in some animals the disease is fatal unless treated. The trypanosomes are transmitted by tsetse flies.^[1]

An interesting feature is the remarkable resistance to nagana pathology shown by some breeds of cattle, notably the N'Dama - a West African Bos taurus breed. This contrasts with the susceptibility shown by East African Bos indicus cattle such as the zebu.^[2] Most wild African animals are also resistant.^{[citation needed]}

This disease is the nonhuman animal counterpart of human African trypanosomiasis, also known as sleeping sickness.

References

1. ^ http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs259/en/
2. ^ Courtin D, Berthier D, Thevenon S, Dayo GK, Garcia A, Bucheton B (May 2008). "Host genetics in African trypanosomiasis". Infect. Genet. Evol. 8 (3): 229–38. doi:10.1016/j.meegid.2008.02.007. PMID 18394971. 

Further reading

• WHO fact sheet on Trypanosomiasis
• Maré, C. J. (2005-10-14). "African Animal Trypanosomiasis". University of Georgia. Archived from the original on 2007-02-13. http://web.archive.org/web/20070213230501/http://www.vet.uga.edu/vpp/gray_book02/fad/aat.php. Retrieved 2007-02-14. 
• REDUTH et al., Dagmar; Grootenhuis, JAN G.; Olubayo, Reardon O.; Muranjan, Madhavi; Otieno-Omondi, Frederick P.; Morgan, Grant A.; Brun, Reto; Williams, Diana J. L. et al. (2007). "African Buffalo Serum Contains Novel Trypanocidal Protein". The Journal of Eukaryotic Microbiology 41 (2): 95–103. doi:10.1111/j.1550-7408.1994.tb01480.x. PMID 8167620. http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/119284341/abstract?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0.