Polymerase chain reaction characterization of trypanosomes in Glossina morsitans submorsitans and G-tachinoides collected on the game ranch of Nazinga, Burkina Faso

The polymerase chain reaction was used to characterize the trypanosomes inf ecting Glossina morsitans submorsitans and G. tachinoides in the game ranch of Nazinga, Burkina Faso, situated near an agropastoral zone. Dissection o f 435 tsetse flies, and PCR analysis of 166 infected flies were conducted t o assess the epidemiological situation. Trypanosomes of the Nannomonas subg enus were the most abundant in the two tsetse species (80.4% and 73.7% of i dentified infections in G. m. submorsitans and G. tachinoides respectively) . T. vivax and T. brucei infection rates were comparable between the two ts etse species. Mature infection pattern identified by PCR differed from over all infections, mainly because T. simiae infections did not mature, whereas T. vivax represented the predominant taxon. Parasitological and PCR result s showed some discrepancies; possibly some typical Duttonella strains could not be recognized by the sets of primers used. The technologies used in th is work helped to determine the high trypanosomosis risk in this area. (C) 1999 Published by Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.