African Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 4 (2), pp. 134-137, February 2005          
ISSN 1684–5315 © 2005 Academic Journals

Review

Implicating roles of animal reservoir hosts in the resurgence of Gambian trypanosomosis (Sleeping Sickness)

J. N. Abenga¹* and I. A. Lawal²

¹Pathology, Epidemiology and Statistics Division, Nigerian Institute for Trypanosomiasis Research, Private Mail Bag, 2077, Kaduna, Nigeria.

² Department of Veterinary Parasitology and Entomology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ahmadu Bello University, Samaru, Zaria, Nigeria.

*Corresponding author.  E-mail: jnabenga@yahoo.com.

Accepted 23 December, 2004

Gambian trypanosomosis (Sleeping Sickness) is a complex and debilitating disease of man. For many years the disease has been ravaging in several parts of sub-saharan Africa despite decades of therapeutic control. Although animal reservoir hosts are believed to be associated with the disease, not much evidences have been established to prove the true existence of animal reservoir hosts for Trypanosoma brucei gambiense and the zoonotic nature of Gambian Sleeping Sickness.  This paper reviews recent evidences based on molecular and other biotechnologies leading to the identification of mammalian hosts as reservoirs of T. b. gambiense and the roles of such hosts in transmission and resurgence of sleeping sickness in sub-Saharan Africa.

Key words: Gambian trypanosomosis, Trypanosoma brucei gambiense, animal reservoir hosts, biotechnologies.