search
for
 About Bioline  All Journals  Testimonials  Membership  News


Memórias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz
Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Fiocruz
ISSN: 1678-8060
EISSN: 1678-8060
Vol. 94, No. 2, 1999, pp. 195-197
Bioline Code: oc99038
Full paper language: English
Document type: Research Article
Document available free of charge

Memórias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Vol. 94, No. 2, 1999, pp. 195-197

 en A Possible Role for Rusa Deer (Cervus timorensis russa) and Wild Pigs in Spread of Trypanosoma evansi from Indonesia to Papua New Guinea
SA Reid; A Husein; GW Hutchinson & DB Copeman

Abstract

Movement of transmigrants and livestock from western Indonesia
to southeastern areas of Irian Jaya near the border with Papua New
Guinea may pose a risk of introducing Trypanosoma evansi
into Papua New Guinea via feral Rusa deer (Cervus timorensis
russa) and wild pigs which inhabit these areas in large
numbers. Pilot experimental studies were conducted to observe
infection in pigs and Rusa deer with a strain of T. evansi
isolated in Indonesia. Parasitaemia and signs of clinical disease
were monitored each second day for 120 days. Trypanosomes were
observed in haematocrit tubes at the plasma-buffy coat interface of
jugular blood of deer and pigs on 86% and 37% of sampling occasions
respectively. Parasitaemia was at a high level in deer for 35% of
the time but for only 11.5% of the time in pigs. Results indicate
that both Rusa deer and pigs have a high tolerance for infection
with T. evansi. The deer suffered mild anaemia evidenced by a 25%
reduction in packed cell volume (PCV) 14 days after infection which
coincided with the initial peak in parasitaemia. However, PCV had
returned to pre infection values by the end of the experiment. The
pigs showed no change in PCV. There were no visual indications of
disease in either species and appetite was not noticeably affected.
It was concluded that both Rusa deer and pigs were capable
reservoir hosts for T. evansi but that Rusa deer, with their
more persistent higher levels of parasitaemia, have more potential
to spread T. evansi into Papua New Guinea from West Irian than
pigs.

Keywords
Trypanosoma evansi - reservoir hosts - epidemiology - pig - deer

 
© Copyright 1999 Fundacao Oswaldo Cruz - Fiocruz
Alternative site location: http://memorias.ioc.fiocruz.br

Home Faq Resources Email Bioline
© Bioline International, 1989 - 2024, Site last up-dated on 01-Sep-2022.
Site created and maintained by the Reference Center on Environmental Information, CRIA, Brazil
System hosted by the Google Cloud Platform, GCP, Brazil