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Animal African Trypanosomiasis (AAT) remains an animal health problem in sub-Saharan Africa and in Cameroon in particular. Despite more than 40 years of fighting against AAT in some tsetse infested areas, the disease prevalence is still a concern. Improving the control strategies in different settings requires to understand the current epidemiological situation of AAT. The aim of the present study was to update our knowledge on the diversity of tsetse fauna and trypanosome species in the tsetse infested area of Faro and Deo division, Adamawa region, Cameroon. Tsetse flies were caught using Vavoua trap in two villages and the apparent density per trap (ADP) were estimated. After morphological identification of tsetse fly species, flies were dissected and their midguts recovered. The presence of blood meal residues was recorded. Trypanosomes species were checked in the flies' midguts by microscopy followed by PCR method. The vertebrate taxa on which tsetse flies have taken blood meal were determined using the heteroduplex-PCR method. A total of 338 tsetse flies including 11 teneral flies (10 Glossina palpalis palpalis and 01 G. morsitans submorsitans) and 327 non-teneral were trapped in Mayo Lainde and Tchabal Mbabo. Amongst the caught tsetse flies, of the 327 non-teneral flies, 315 (96.3%) were G. p. palpalis, 8 (2.4%) were G. morsitans submorsitans and 4 (1.2%) G. fuscipes fuscipes. Trypanosome infections including Trypanosoma congolense forest (19.88%) and savanah (2.53%) "types", T. brucei s.l. (7.30%) and T. vivax (2.85%) were identified in 45.08% of non-teneral flies (32.38% for single infection and 12.70% for mixed infection). Amongst the 54 blood meals identified in tsetse midguts, 41% were from humans, 33% from cattle and 26% from other vertebrate hosts. About 51.9% of blood meals were found with various trypanosome species including 42.6% with T. congolense and 24% with T. brucei s.l. This study revealed the presence of three tsetse taxa and the circulation of four trypanosome taxa in villages of the Faro and Deo division. About 45% of captured tsetse fly are infected with trypanosome species causing AAT. Tsetse flies feed on humans, cattle and many other vertebrates. Strategies to eliminate the vectors must be improved to reduce the pathological impacts of trypanosome infections in this area.

A major risk factor for the spread of livestock diseases and their vectors is the uncontrolled transboundary movement of live animals for trade and grazing. Such movements constrain effective control of tick‐transmitted pathogens, including Theileria parva. Only limited studies have been undertaken to identify ticks and tick‐borne diseases (TTBDs) affecting cattle in central African countries, including Cameroon. We hereby report the collection of baseline data on the prevalence of T. parva in Cameroon through a countrywide cross‐sectional survey, conducted in 2016, involving collection of blood samples from cattle from 63 sites across the five agro‐ecological zones (AEZs) of the country. ELISA‐based surveillance of infected cattle was performed on 479 randomly selected samples and revealed specific antibodies to T. parva in 22.7% and T. mutans in 41.1% of cattle. Screening of 1,340 representative DNA samples for the presence of T. parva identified 25 (1.86%) positives using a p104 antigen gene‐based nested PCR assay. The positives were distributed across agro‐ecological zones I, II, III and V. None of the p104 positive cattle exhibited clinical symptoms of East Coast fever (ECF). Using reverse line blot (RLB), 58 (4.3%) and 1,139 (85%) of the samples reacted with the T. parva and T. mutans oligonucleotide probes, respectively. This represents the first report of T. parva from Cameroon. Surprisingly, no Rhipicephalus appendiculatus ticks, the main vector of T. parva, were identified in a parallel study involving comprehensive morphological and molecular survey of tick species present in the country. Only two of the 25 p104 positive cattle were PCR‐positive for the CD8+ T‐cell target schizont‐expressed antigen gene Tp1. Cloning and sequencing of Tp1 amplicons revealed sequence identity with the reference T. parva Muguga. This new finding raises serious concerns of a potential spread of ECF into the central African region.

BackgroundTicks and tick-borne diseases are a major impediment to livestock production worldwide. Cattle trade and transnational transhumance create risks for the spread of ticks and tick-borne diseases and threaten cattle production in the absence of an effective tick control program. Few studies have been undertaken on cattle ticks in the Central African region; therefore, the need to assess the occurrence and the spatial distribution of tick vectors with the aim of establishing a baseline for monitoring future spread of tick borne-diseases in the region is urgent.ResultsA total of 7091 ixodid ticks were collected during a countrywide cross-sectional field survey and identified using morphological criteria. Of these, 4210 (59.4%) ticks wereAmblyomma variegatum, 1112 (15.6%)Rhipicephalus(Boophilus)microplus, 708 (10.0%)Rhipicephalus(Boophilus)decoloratus, 28 (0.4%)Rhipicephalus(Boophilus)annulatus, 210 (3.0%)Hyalomma rufipes, 768 (10.8%)Hyalomma truncatum, and 19 (0.3%)Rhipicephalus sanguineus.Three ticks of the genusHyalommaspp. and 33 of the genusRhipicephalusspp. were not identified to the species level. Cytochromecoxidase subunit 1 (cox1) gene sequencing supported the data from morphological examination and led to identification of three additional species, namelyHyalomma dromedarii,Rhipicephalus sulcatusandRhipicephalus pusillus. The finding of the invasive tick speciesR. microplusin such large numbers and the apparent displacement of the indigenousR. decoloratusis highly significant sinceR. microplusis a highly efficient vector ofBabesia bovis.ConclusionsThis study reports the occurrence and current geographical distribution of important tick vectors associated with cattle in Cameroon. It appears thatR. microplusis now well established and may be displacing nativeRhipicephalus(Boophilus) species, such asR. decoloratus. This calls for an urgent response to safeguard the livestock sector in western central Africa.

Background Animal African trypanosomiasis (AAT) and its tsetse vector are responsible for annual losses estimated in billions of US dollars ($). Recent years have seen the implementation of a series of multinational interventions. However, actors of AAT control face complex resource allocation decisions due to the geographical range of AAT, diversity of ecological and livestock systems, and range of control methods available. Methods The study presented here integrates an existing tsetse abundance model with a bio-economic herd model that captures local production characteristics as well as heterogeneities in AAT incidence and breed. These models were used to predict the impact of tsetse elimination on the net value of cattle production in the districts of Mambwe, in Zambia, and Faro et Déo in Cameroon. The net value of cattle production under the current situation was used as a baseline, and compared with alternative publicly funded control programmes. In Zambia, the current baseline is AAT control implemented privately by cattle owners (Scenario Z0). In Cameroon, the baseline (Scenario C0) is a small-scale publicly funded tsetse control programme and privately funded control at farm level. The model was run for 10 years, using a discount rate of 5%. Results Compared to Scenario C0, benefit-cost ratios (BCR) of 4.5 (4.4–4.7) for Scenario C1 (tsetse suppression using insecticide treatment of cattle (ITC) and traps + maintenance with ITC barrier), and 3.8 (3.6–4.0) for Scenario C2 (tsetse suppression using ITC and traps + maintenance with barrier of targets), were estimated in Cameroon. For Zambia, the benefit-cost ratio calculated for Scenarios Z1 (targets, ITC barrier), Z2 (targets, barrier traps), Z3 (aerial spraying, ITC barrier), and Z4 (aerial spraying, barrier traps) were 2.3 (1.8 - 2.7), 2.0 (1.6-2.4), 2.8 (2.3–3.3) and 2.5 (2.0–2.9), respectively. Sensitivity analysis showed that the profitability of the projects is relatively resistant to variations in the costs of the interventions and their technical efficiency. Conclusions It is envisioned that the methodologies presented here will be useful for the evaluation and design of existing and future control programmes, ensuring they have tangible benefits in the communities they are targeting. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s13071-018-2679-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

The study of Myxosporidia infecting Schilbe mystus (Linné, 1758) (Schilbeidae) and Citharinus citharus (Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1809) (Citharinidae) from the Sanaga and Bénoué basins revealed the presence of two new species of the genus Thelohanellus kudo, 1993. These species are Thelohanellus njinei sp. nov. and Thelohanellus lagdoensis sp. nov., found in the gut of Schilbe mystus and Citharinus citharus respectively. New data are also given on the diagnosis of Thelohanellus citharini, a species previously described in Chad.