Genetic Diversity of Trypanosomes Infesting Cattle from Savannah District in North of Côte d'Ivoire Using Conserved Genomic Signatures: rRNA, ITS1 and gGAPDH.

The potential danger to livestock from African animal trypanosomiasis is well known. However, the trypanosome species circulating in cattle and their genetics are poorly understood. After different alignments according to three regions (ITS1, gGAPDH and rRNA gene) of the trypanosome genome, phylogenetic analyses were used to show the genetic diversity of the different species that were circulating in the cattle in three regions (Bagoue, Poro and Tchologo) of Côte d'Ivoire. These analyses were performed by alignment of ITS1; by alignment of partial 18S, ITS1, 5.8S, ITS2 and partial 28S rRNA genes; and by alignment of gGAPDH gene with sequences of Trypanosomes found in GenBank. Three species were identified (T. vivax, T. theileri and T. congolense) in the cattle in the three northern regions of Côte d'Ivoire. T. vivax and T. theileri were the most abundant species in the present study. Contrary to the other primers used in this study, the ITS1 primers were not able to amplify T. theileri. We observed mixed infections between T. theileri and the other two species identified (T. vivax and T. congolense). As far as primers are concerned, in some cases, rRNA was able to identify the same species of trypanosomes that the ITS1 and gGAPDH primers were able to identify. Two main distinct groups of T. theileri complex were identified. The T. congolense and T. vivax strains were close to African strains, such as those from Kenya, Nigeria and Cameroon, unlike the T. theileri strain. Three trypanosome species (T. vivax, T. theileri and T. congolense) circulate in cattle in the Savannah district of Côte d'Ivoire. The genetic diversity of the trypanosome species encountered in this study cannot be classified as intraspecies according to geographical area and breed of cattle they infect.

Molecular epidemiological survey of pathogenic trypanosomes in naturally infected cattle in northern Côte d'ivoire.

Bovine trypanosomiasis is a significant health concern for livestock intensification in Côte d'Ivoire. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and distribution of pathogenic trypanosomes and identify the most infected cattle breed in northern Côte d'Ivoire. We examined 700 cattle and found that polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was more sensitive (12.3%) than microscopic observation (5.6%). Among the trypanosome species detected in naturally infected cattle, Trypanosoma vivax was 7.3%, Trypanosoma simiae tsavo was 6.7%, and Trypanosoma congolense was 0.4%. The overall prevalence of trypanosome infection in all cattle breeds was 12.3%, while the prevalence in individual breeds was 14.8%, 7.3%, 10.6%, and 12.3% for N'Dama, Baoule, Zebu, and Mere breed, respectively. The infected animals had low packed cell volume, influencing the prevalence. Our findings indicate that bovine trypanosomes are prevalent in Côte d'Ivoire, and their prevalence varies by region and breed. These pathogens include T. vivax, T. simiae tsavo, and T. congolense.