How do African game animals control trypanosome infections?
African trypanosomiasis is endemic over much of sub-saharan Africa. But whereas domestic animals - especially cattle - often succumb to the infection, wild mammals generally show a high degree o f resistance. Many species o f wildlife living in tsetse-infested areas carry trypanosome infections, and so act as important reservoir hosts, but generally show no obvious ill-effects. How they survive the infection is an important question in understanding mechanisms o f trypanotolerance, yet relevant data are sparse and scattered. Here, Ayub Mulla and Roy Rickman review some of the previous studies to illustrate how complex the question is.
Mulla
A F
AF
A.F. Mulla and L.R. Rickman are at the Parasitology Unit, Tropical Disease Research Centre, Ndola, Zambia.
Rickman
L R
LR