Review of tsetse flies and trypanosomosis in South Africa.

The history of tsetse flies and nagana (trypanosomosis) in South Africa, and especially in Zululand, is reviewed. Four valid tsetse fly species have been recorded from South Africa. Glossina morsitans morsitans disappeared from the most northerly parts of South Africa during the rinderpest epizootic between 1896-1897. Of the three remaining species that occurred in Zululand, now part of KwaZuluNatal Province, G. pallidipes was the most common vector of nagana in cattle, but was eradicated from this area in 1954. G. brevipalpis and G. austeni remained but were responsible for only a few sporadic cases of nagana up until 1990. A widespread outbreak occurred in 1990 where cattle served by 61 diptanks were found infected with Trypanosoma congolense and T. vivax. Dipping of cattle in a pyrethroid plus the therapeutic treatment of infected animals brought the disease under control. The outbreak also led to a trial to control G. brevipalpis from the most northerly parts of the Hluhluwe/Umfolozi Game Reserve making use of target technology as for savannah species. The results were not satisfactory and the trial was discontinued until further research could provide a more appropriate system for the control of this species. A Tsetse Research Station was established at Hellsgate near St. Lucia Lake where research on G. brevipalpis and G. austeni is conducted into ways and means of monitoring and controlling these species.

Parasites of domestic and wild animals in South Africa. XXXIII. Ixodid ticks on scrub hares in the north-eastern regions of northern and eastern Transvaal and of KwaZulu-Natal.

Ixodid ticks were collected from scrub hares (Lepus saxatilis) at three localities. Nine tick species were recovered from 24 hares examined at Pafuri, Kruger National Park, Northern Transvaal. The most abundant and prevalent species were Hyalomma truncatum, Rhipicephalus kochi and a Rhipicephalus species (near R. pravus). Twelve tick species were collected from 120 scrub hares examined around Skukuza, Kruger National Park, Eastern Transvaal. The immature stages of Hyalomma truncatum were most abundant and those of Amblyomma hebraeum most prevalent on the hares. No haematozoa were found on blood smears made from these hares. Thirty-four scrub hares on mixed cattle and game farms near Hluhluwe, north-eastern KwaZulu-Natal harboured 12 tick species. The most abundant and prevalent of these were the immature stages of Rhipicephalus muehlensi. Piroplasms, tentatively identified as Babesia leporis, were present on blood smears of eight of these hares. The host status of scrub hares for 18 ixodid tick species or subspecies found in South Africa is tabulated.