Molecular identification of trypanosome species and vertebrate blood meals in wild tsetse flies from Binoum in the forest area of the littoral region of Cameroon.

Although considerable data have been generated on tsetse and trypanosome species to implement "Progressive Control Pathway (PCP)" for African trypanosomiasis, such data are lacking in areas rarely investigated by control programs against tsetse and African trypanosomiasis. This study aimed to determine the diversity of trypanosomes as well as the blood meal origins in wild tsetse caught at Binoum in the Littoral Region of Cameroon. Twenty eight pyramidal traps were set up and each caught fly was identified using morphological criteria and molecular tool. Different trypanosome species were identified by PCR. Heteroduplex-based method enabled to determine the tsetse blood meal origins. The 142 caught tsetse flies belonged to Glossina palpalis palpalis. The relative apparent density of tsetse flies was 1.3; 3.2 in the degraded forest and around 1.0 in forest. The overall trypanosome infection rate of 17.8% varies significantly (X2: 36.6; P < 0.0001) between trypanosomes species; trypanosomes of the subgenus Trypanozoon (13.4%) being the predominant ones followed by T. congolense (2.8%) and T. vivax (1.4%). Tsetse of this area feed on humans (38.7%), pigs (9.7%), sheep (16.1%) and wild animals (35.5%). A diversity of trypanosomes was revealed in G. p. palpalis of Binoum in Littoral region of Cameroon. Tsetse of this area feed on human and diverse animal species. This study highlights the transmission of AAT and the need of controlling tsetse and trypanosome infections in this area. These baseline data are critical for the first step of PCP for African trypanosomiasis.