title: Population genetics of Glossina palpalis palpalis from central African sleeping sickness foci.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Glossina palpalis palpalis (Diptera: Glossinidae) is widespread in west Africa, and is the main vector of sleeping sickness in Cameroon as well as in the Bas Congo Province of the Democratic Republic of Congo. However, little is known on the structure of its populations. We investigated G. p. palpalis population genetic structure in five sleeping sickness foci (four in Cameroon, one in Democratic Republic of Congo) using eight microsatellite DNA markers.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A strong isolation by distance explains most of the population structure observed in our sampling sites of Cameroon and DRC. The populations here are composed of panmictic subpopulations occupying fairly wide zones with a very strong isolation by distance. Effective population sizes are probably between 20 and 300 individuals and if we assume densities between 120 and 2000 individuals per km2, dispersal distance between reproducing adults and their parents extends between 60 and 300 meters.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This first investigation of population genetic structure of G. p. palpalis in Central Africa has evidenced random mating subpopulations over fairly large areas and is thus at variance with that found in West African populations of G. p. palpalis. This study brings new information on the isolation by distance at a macrogeographic scale which in turn brings useful information on how to organise regional tsetse control. Future investigations should be directed at temporal sampling to have more accurate measures of demographic parameters in order to help vector control decision.
authors.affiliation: Université de Yaoundé I, Laboratoire de Parasitologie et Ecologie, Faculté des Sciences, BP 812, Yaoundé, Cameroun.
authors.forename: Trésor Tito Tanekou T T
authors.initials: TT
authors.lastname: Melachio
authors.forename: Gustave
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Simo
authors.forename: Sophie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ravel
authors.forename: Thierry
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: De Meeûs
authors.forename: Sandrine
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Causse
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Solano
authors.forename: Pascal
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Lutumba
authors.forename: Tazoacha
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Asonganyi
authors.forename: Flobert
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Njiokou
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002163:Cameroon; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D015023:Democratic Republic of the Congo; D004199:Disease Vectors; D005260:Female; D014644:Genetic Variation; D008297:Male; D018895:Microsatellite Repeats; D058974:Phylogeography; D014353:Trypanosomiasis, African / Q000635:transmission; D014370:Tsetse Flies / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics*