Characterization of trypanosomes in N’Dama cattle of Mushie ranch in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Abstract

A transverse and descriptive study was conducted from 3 August to 5 September 2014 and from 6 February to 7 March 2015 at the Izeli area of the Mushie ranch in the Democratic Republic of Congo, to identify trypanosome species and determine the distribution of etiological agents in different herds and zootechnical categories in N’Dama cattle. A sample of 324 cattle was obtained according to the formula of Thrusfield (2005) and selected by systematic sampling technique in 4 herds including Selection, Nganzaka, Dwe and Wulu-Wulu. The parasitological diagnosis was made using the buffy coat technique and confirmed by molecular biology analyzes (PCR). The results show that Trypanosoma congolense (67.7 %) was the dominant species followed by Trypanosoma vivax (16.1 %) and Trypanosoma brucei brucei (12.9 %). As for the distribution of trypanosomes per herd, T. congolense was found in all herds while T. vivax showed a remarkable presence in the category of cull cows and beef heifers. Statistical analysis reveal a non-significant difference between trypanosome species distribution in herds and zootechnical categories (p>0,05).

Keywords

• Characterization
• trypanosomes
• amplification
• primers