NAME: INIAMA COMFORT

MAT NO: 17CQ023024

PROGRAMME: MICROBIOLOGY

COURSE CODE: MCB423

1. Distinguish between the features of the tse-tse and lice.

TSE-TSE LICE
They have wings They are wingless
Brown in colour Tan-greyish white in colour
They possess distinctly separated They possess compound eyes
eyes
They possess unusual antennae They possess 5 segmented antenna
They possess distinct proboscis They possess short slender proboscis
They possess 3 pairs of legs They possess 3 pairs of legs
Transmit Human African Transmit epidemic typhus, trench
Trypanosomiasis fever
They are found mainly in tropical They are found almost exclusively
Africa on the scalp, particularly around and
behind the ears and near the neckline
at the back of the head
Found in the family Glossinidae Found in the family Pthiridae
Both forms of sleeping sickness are Mode of transmission is through
transmitted by the bite of the tsetse head-to-head contact with an
fly infested person, and less commonly
 through sharing of personal items
such as combs, hats or hair
accessories

2. Describe the role of the tse-tse as a vector of human and animal diseases.
African trypanosomiasis is one of a diverse range of neglected tropical
diseases. The tsetse fly, Glossina sp. is the main vector for trypanosomes,
the parasites that cause trypanosomiasis. This disease affects both humans
and livestock. In humans, the disease is known as sleeping sickness or
Human African Trypanosomiasis (HAT) while, in livestock, it is referred to
as nagana or African Animal Trypanosomiasis (AAT). AAT is widespread
across most of the 38 countries of sub-Saharan Africa that are considered
endemic for tsetse flies and the disease and is considered to be a major factor
limiting agricultural production. On the other hand, HAT occurs as a highly
focal disease. Trypanosomiasis continues to be a constraint to livestock-
based rural livelihoods and a potentially fatal human disease.
There are two distinct forms of sleeping sickness, with differences in
aetiology, epidemiology, clinical manifestation, and treatment regimes: The
chronic anthroponotic form which is caused by Trypanosoma brucei
gambiense (gHAT) and the acute zoonotic form of the disease caused
by Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense (rHAT).
Tsetse flies can be grouped into three main subgroups depending on the
environment they inhabit: thus, riverine (palpalis), savannah (morsitans), or
forest-dwelling tsetse (fusca). All tsetse species are capable of transmitting
human-infective trypanosomes. However, the major species involved in
HAT transmission are the palpalis group tsetse, specifically G. palpalis
spp and G. fuscipes spp. Sleeping sickness occurs in geographically
delineated zones referred to as “foci”. Such foci are often infested by
sympatric species, whereby one species is the predominant one. Flies pick
up bloodstream parasites from their hosts: livestock, wildlife, and humans.
Vectorial capacity describes the innate ability of a specific fly species to
acquire, mature, and transmit trypanosomes. 
MODE OF TRANSMISSION
Both forms of sleeping sickness are transmitted by the bite of the tsetse fly.