Molecular Detection of Trypanosoma Species Infecting Small Ruminants in some parts of Plateau State, Nigeria

Abstract

Trypanosomes occupy a unique position among infectious agents because they are one of the most studied and poorly understood parasitic organisms, particularly regarding their complex biology and pathogenesis. In Nigeria, the main causative agents of Trypanosomosis in small ruminants are Trypanosoma brucei, Trypanosoma congolense, and Trypanosoma vivax. In this study, Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) was used to identify specific Trypanosoma species infecting sheep and goats in eight communities within the Bassa and Jos East Local Government Areas (LGAs) of the Plateau State, Nigeria. A total of 400 blood samples were collected, with 200 samples from each of Jos East and Bassa LGAs. These samples were screened for the presence of Trypanosoma spp. DNA using the primers Kin 1 and Kin 2 for general Trypanosoma species, and Tv.80.24 and Tv.322.24 for the amplification of the 540 bp and 266 bp regions of Trypanosoma spp. and T. vivax, respectively. The overall prevalence of Trypanosoma spp. recorded in the present study was 27.25%. However, a higher prevalence of 30.5% was recorded in the Jos East LGAthan in the Bassa LGA(24 %). No significant differences were observed in the Detection of Trypanosoma spp. DNA between sheep and goats (P = 0.151).The detection of T. brucei DNA was significantly higher (p < 0.001) than that of T. vivax. There was no significant difference (p=0.563) between young (<1 year old) and old (> 1 year old) animals. However, there was a significant difference (p=0.036)in the detection of Trypanosoma DNA between the male and female animals. Similarly, T. Brucei DNAdetection was significantly higher (p=0.000) than that of T. vivax. This study confirms the presence of T. brucei and T. vivax in small ruminants in some communities of the Plateau State in Nigeria. Animal health workers and farmers should be proactive in detecting clinical cases to mitigate the negative effects of the disease. Further studies are needed to determine the impact of these parasites on small ruminant production in the study area.