Maiga, S.

Okiwelu, S.N.

Name not available

Natural hosts of Glossina morsitans submorsitans Newstead and Glossina palpalis gambiensis Vanderplank in the Republic of Mali

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Natural hosts of Glossina morsitans submorsitans Newstead 
and Glossina palpalis ga.mbiensis Vanderplanlr in the Republic of Mali 
Samuel N. OKIWELU (l) 
Saddu MAIGA f2) 
Summary 
During tsetse ground surueys in an area. of approaimately 50,000 k m2 in Central llfali (197740) to map 
a.n accura,te Glos&a distribut.ion prior to the initia.tion of a tsetse control progra.mme, blood mea.ls of Glossina 
morsitans submorsitans and Glossina palpalis gambiensis were collected and iden,tified. The results a,re the 
first records of the na.tzrral hosts of Glossina. in Ma.li. During the dry season, bath species ezhibited Hifferences 
in host preferences betwaen arec6s of simila,r fauna. G. m. submorsitans collected from the forest reserves west 
of 8015’TT’ showed a. strong preference for suids, rvlde those from east of 8016’W, in. the Mon.ts Mandingues reserve, 
preferred bovids. 
Collections of G. p. gambiensis were restricted to a~rea.s east of 8015’TT; ; tlzere wa.s a markecl preference for 
reptiles in the forest reserve paya, bovids accounted for the highest number of feeds in the reserpe MoolLts Man- 
dingyes, while reptiles clomina.ted the feeds of fl’ f zes rom the scattered forest galleries outside the reserves. Nzsmbers 
of meals collected for each species du.ring the rainy season were eztremely low ; sea,son.al com.parisons were therefore 
not underttrken. TI re importance of these results in the understazzdin g of the epizootiology of anima,1 trypa.noso- 
miasis in the area is discussed. 
Key words : Natural hosts - Glossina. morsitans - Glossina pa.lpalis - Mali. 
Résumé 
LES H~ES NATURELS DE Glos&a~ morsita.ns sub?norsi.tans N. ET DE Glossina palpalis gambiensis V. EN nf~v- 
BLIQUE DU MALI 
Au cours d’une étude su.r le terrain. des glossines d’une zone d’enuiron 50 000 km” au centre du Mali afin 
d.e ca.rtogru.phier a,vec précision leur répartition a.va.n.t le la,ncement d’un programme de lu#tte, bes repas sanguins 
de Glossina morsitans submorsitans et de G. palpalis gambiensis ont éte’ recueillis et identifiés. Les rt%u.ltats 
obtenus sont les premiers roncerna.nt les hdtes na.twrels des glossines du Mali. 
Durant la sa.ison s&he, les deutr: espèces montrent des diffèrences da.ns la choix des hôtes bien que les rdgions 
aient une faune identique. Dans les rèservcs forestières situées k l’ouest O!U 8015’M’, G. m. submorsitans montre 
une forte préféren.ce pour les suidès alors qu.‘à l’est de ce méridien dans les rèserves des Monts Mandingues, cette 
espèce préfère les bovidès. 
Les rkcoltes de G. p. gambiensis ont été limitées au.5 régions situées à l’est du 8015’W ; on. a trouvé une pré- 
férence marquée pour les reptiles da,ns la riserve forestière de Faya, alors que da.ns la réserve des Monts Man- 
dingues les bovidés fournissaient la majel6re partie des repas sanguins. En dehors des réserves, dans les galeries 
forestières disséminees, les reptiles sont les proies les plus nombreuses. 
(‘i) selbool of Biological Sciences, lJniversit,y of Port Harconrt, P.M.B. 5323, Port Harcourt, River.9 State, Nigeria. 
(2) Nea? Land.$ Activity, Mali Livestock II, Project, 0. M. BE. FTI, B.P. 1382, Bamako, Mali. 
Gah. O.K.S.T.O.M., sBr. Ent. ndd. et Parnsitol., vol. XIX, no 3, 1981 : 179-186 179 
S. N. OKIWELU, S. IbIAIGA 
Durant la. saison des pluies, les repa.s sa~nguins de chaque espèce furent récoltés en très petit nombre de sorte 
qu.e les fl.uteurs n’ont pas entrepris de corn.paraisons saisonnières. L’importance de ces résultats pour la comprk- 
/~.ension de d’épidérniologie de la. trjypanosorniase a.ninmle da.ns cette région. du MaSli est ensuite discutés. 
Mots-clés : Hi>t.es naturels - Glossina. morsitans - GHossina palpabis - RiIali 
1. INTROD‘CTCTION 
This study was undertaken under the New 
Lands hctivit,y of the Mali Livestock II project, 
whose objective is the improvement of livestock in 
Mali. One of the goals is to control Gbossinn in 
the Savannah areas south of the Sahel and more 
trypanosome - susceptible Zebu cattle from the 
overstocked Sahel to these areas. Prior to the 
initiat,ion of the project, there was a dearth of 
information on the ecology of Glossina in Mali. 
A number of ecological studies on GZ0ssin.a were 
therefore initiated. A knowledge of the preferred 
hosts of Glossina. is important for the understanding 
of the epidemiology and epizootiology of trypano- 
somiases. It was therefore necessary to deter- 
mine the natural hosts of the dommant species 
in the area, G. morsita,ns submorsitans and G. pa,l- 
pu.lis gambiensis, during tsetse ground surveys and 
simultaneously with studies on other aspects of 
Glossina ecology. 
2. DESCRIPTION OF STUDY AREA 
Collections of gorged flies were made from 
3 zones, designat.ed 1, 2 and 3, covering areas of 
approximately 19,000, 29,000 and 7,000 km2 res- 
pectively (fig. 1). The zones lie between 10°20’\V 
Cah. O.R.S.T.O.M., sér. Ent. méd. et Parasitol., vol. XIX, no 3, 1981 : 179-186 
NATURAL HOSTS OF GLOSSINA MORTISADS SUBMORSITANS AND G. PALPALIS GAMBIEENSIS 
and 5048’W, 14e7’N and 1208’N. They extend 
from the Southern Sudan to the Northern Guinea 
Savanna and lie between isohyets 750 mm and 
1250 mm. Forest reserves occupy approxima- 
tely 50 and 60 oh of zones 2 and 3 respectively. 
Consequently, these zones have relatively low 
human population densities. In contrast, zone 1 
has the highest human population density, and it 
has only two small forest reserves. There are 
three overlapping seasons : hot and rainy (June- 
October), warm and dry (November-January), hot 
and dry (Februaqy-May). Detailed accounts of 
vegetation and chmate of the zones bave been 
given elsewhere (Okiwelu et a.l., in press). 
The larger mammals known to occur in the 
area are baboon, warthog, monkey, buffalo, ante- 
lope, duiker, bushbuck, porcupine, hyaena, lion, 
waterbuck, elephant, genet, oribi, jackal, hippopo- 
tamus, kob, hartebeest and korrigum. Reptiles 
(crocodiles, snakes, lizards) and birds are abun- 
dant. 
3. MATERIALS AND METHODS 
During preliminary tsetse ground surveys in 
the 1977-78 dry season, blood meals of G. m. sub- 
morsitans were collected from zones 2 and 3 and 
those of G. p. ga.mbier&s from zone 1 (forest reserve 
Faya) (fig. 1). S b I u sec uent blood meal collections 
were rest.ricted to zone 1. During the 1978-79 dry 
season, blood meal smears of G. m. submorsitans 
were collected from the reserve Monts Mandingues, 
but in the 1979-80 dry seasons, smears of both 
G. m. submorsitans and G. p. gambisnsis were 
obtained from the same reserve. Additional G. p. 
ga,mbiensis smears were obtained in the 1979-80 
dry season from forest galleries (Sai, Souba, Balan, 
Kanika, Sanankoroni Farania, Kodyala, Toulabou- 
gou) in scattered locations outside the forest 
reserves (fig. 2). 
Cah. O.R.S.T.O.M., sdr. Ent. mBd. et Parnsitol., vol. XIX, no 3, 1981 : 179-186 
TABLE 1 
BOY~~S OTHERS REPTILES UIRDS 
M*hz~IAI.s 
UNIDEN- WART- UNIDEN- BUF- BUSIX ROAX Dur- MAN 
UNïDEN- LTNIDEN- 
TIFIED HOG TIFIED FALO BUCIC hNTELoPE KER TIFIED TIFIED 
-- 
2 Mostly Dry 
and Forest. Nov. 1977- 
3 Reserves May, 1978 1 1 15 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 
TOTALS FOR EACH GROUP 2 (10 yo) * 17 (85 %) 0 f (5 %l 0 0 
1 Forest DrS’ 
Reserve Nov. 1978- 
Monts 
Mandingues May, 1979 0 1 6 4 0 0 0 0 33 2 0 0 
TOTAL~ FOR EACH GROUP l (2.22 %) 10 (22.22 yo) 33 (73.32 yo) 1 (2.22 %j 0 0 
Forest Dry 
1 Reserve Nov. 1979- 
Monts 
Mandingues May, 1980 7 2 7 4 2 2 1 5 ll 0 0 1 
TOTALS FOR EACH GHDUP 9 (21.42 06) 11 (26.49 ‘Yo) 21 (50 %, 0 0 1 (2.38) 
1 
Forest Rainy 
Reserve Jun- 
Monts 
Mandingues oct. 1979 0 0 5 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 
TOTAL~ FOH EACH GROUP 0 5 (62.5 yoj 1 (l2.5 Yo) 0 0 2 P%I 
(10 %) * Percentage of total blood meals for each area and season 
TABLE II 
Blood meals of Glossinn palpalis gambiensis from zone 3 
HOSTS 
Amas SEASONS PRIMATES BOVIDS 
OTHER 
MAMMALS 
REPTILES BIRDS 
MAN UNIDEN- WART- UNIDEN- BUF- BUSH ROAN- Dur- UNIDEN- UNIDEN- 
TIFIED HOG TIFIED FALO BU~K ANTELOPE KER IFIED TIFIED 
-- 
Forest Dry 
Reserve Nov. 1977 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 33 0 
Faya May 1978 
TOTAL~ FOR EACH GROUP 0 2 (5.71 yo) * 0 0 33 (94.29 yo) 0 
Forest Dry 
Reserve Nov. 1979 3 2 2 0 1 3 0 1 3 0 5 
Monts May 1980 
Mandingues 
0 5 (25 %I 0 TOTAL~ FOR EACH GROUP 
Forest Rainy 
* Reserve Jun- 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 
Monts oct. 1979 0 
Mandingues 
TOTAL~ FOR BACH GROUP 0 1 (33.33 70) 0 0 2 (66.67 “i;) 0 
Outside Dry 
Forest Nov. 1979- 1 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 3 
Reserve May, 1980 
TOTAL~ FOR EACH GROUP 4 (25 %J 1 (6.25 %) 2 (6.25 %) 0 7 (43.75 y;) 3 
(0.75 %) 
(5.7.1 %) * Percentage of total blcod meals for eacb area and season 
Gorged flics w-ere collected hy 1~0th hand nets 
antl t.hr Challier-Laveissière traps. These were 
grouped according t.o species, and smears were made 
~II filter lbaper. Blood meals were identified by 
immi~r~olc~gical tests on serum proteins at Imperial 
Collrge Field Station, Ascot, Berks, United King- 
dom. 
4. KESULTS 
G. m. submorsitans 
During t.he 1977-78 dry season in zones 2 and 
3, this species showed a strong preference for suids 
(85 /&) and the remaining feeds were from primates 
(10 9&) and ot.lier mammals (5 O/“) ; no feeds were 
oht.ained from bovids (table 1). The pattern in 
the Monts Mandingues forest reserve (zone ‘1) was 
diffrrent ; in the 1978-79 dry season, a marked 
prefrrence for bovids (73.33 “i,) was exhibited and 
the rest. of thr feeds came from suids (22.23 y0o), 
primates (2.22 %) and other mammals (2.22 y,) 
(table 1). Although t.he percentage feeding on 
bovids during the 1979-80 dry season was lower, 
thix gro11p still acrounted for the highest number 
of feeds : hovids (50 s,), suids (26.19 %), primates 
(21.42 I;i,) and birds (2.38 %) (table 1). The 1979 
rainy season dat.a were from only 8 gorged flies : 
6 of thr meals were from suids, 2 from bovids 
(Table 1). 
G. p. gambiensis 
In t.he 197ï-78 dry season, most of the îeeds 
of this spccies from the forest reserve Faya (zone 1) 
were c)btained from reptiles (94.29 %) and the rest 
werp from suids (5.71 ‘+i) (table II). Bovids were 
accounted for thr highest number of feeds (40 yo) 
in the forcst reserve Monts Mandingues in the 
1977-80 dry seauon, and the rest. were dist.ributed 
as follows : reptiles (25 %), primates (25 Th) and 
suids (10 %) (t.ahle II). However in the forest 
galleries olltside the two main reserves in zone 1, 
the distribution of feeds during t,he 1979-80 dry 
season was, re~Jt&s (43.75 l/o), ~Jrinlates (25 yo), 
hirds (18.75 y/;) suids (6.25 %j and bovids (6.25 o/oj 
(tdJk II). Tl le 1.979 rainy season data in the 
reserve Monts Mandingues were from only 3 gorged 
flies ; 2 of these had fed on reptiles and one on 
gorged flics (t.able II). 
S. N.. OKIWELU, S. MAIGA 
5. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION 
The marked preference for suids by G. m. sub- 
morsitarzs from zones 2 and 3 were sim’ilar to those 
obtained by Jordan et al. (1962) for the same species 
in Nigeria. Weitz (9963, 1964) had placed this 
species in t.he group that. is supposed ta feed 
equally on suids and bovids. The contrasting 
preference for bovids by this speçies in t,he Monts 
Mandingues forest reserve (zone l.), indicates that 
in Mali, Gbossinu. host preferences may vary from 
one area to another despite similarity in fauna. 
The preference for bovids is umisual for this spe- 
cies ; G. m . submorsitans was excluded from 
Weitz’s (1963, 1964) g roup of mainly lbovid feeders. 
It has been demonstrat.ed that &ossirza feeding 
mainI? on bovid generally bave higher trypanosome 
infection rat,es than those preferring suids (Jordan, 
1965; Moloo, 1973 ; Okiwelu, 1977). These obser- 
vations bave been complemented by those on try- 
panosome infection rates in game animals from 
various tsetse-infested countries, which showed 
that bovids were generally more important than: 
suids as reservoirs of trypanosomes : Zambia 
(Kinghorn and Yorke, 1912 ; Keymer, 1969), 
Malawi (Bruce et nZ., 1914), Tanzania (Blichanan, 
9928 ; Aschcroft, 1958). The dominante of bovids. 
in the feeds of G. m. sz(hmorsitans in the reservc 
Monts Mandingues may partly explain the rela- 
tively high indidence of trypanosomiasis in bath 
t.he trypanosome-tolerant Ndama and the trypano- 
some-susceptible Zebu cat.tle in and around the 
reserve during the 1979-80 dry season disease sur- 
veys (Awan and Bouare, 1980). The host prefe- 
rente pattern for G. m. submorsitans in the 9979 
rainy season conforms to the classical concept of 
this species as being mainly suid feeders. Since, 
the number of rainy season collect.ions was very 
Iow, comparison of host preferences between sea- 
sons was not undertaken. 
The results obtained in the dry seasons in the 
reserve Faya and t,he forcst galleries located out- 
side the reserves in zone 1, conform to the classical 
concept of G. pnlpcdis as being mainly reptile 
feeders, but obtaining meals from other availabIe 
sources. Similar results were obtained hy Challier 
(1973) in Upper Volta, Jordan et nl. (1962) in Nige- 
ria and Foster (1963, 1964) in Liberia. The low 
number of bovid feeds may partly account for 
the low incidence of trypanosomiases in cattle in 
these areas of zone 1 infested mainly by G. p. gam- 
184 Cah. O.R.S.T.O.M., sér. Ent. méd. et Parasitol., vol. XIX, no 3, 1981 : 179-186 
NATURAL HOSTS C)F GLOSSINA MORSITAJVS SUBMORSITANS AND G. PALPALIS GAMBIENSIS 
Oieluis (Awxn and Bouare, 19SO). There was also 
reduced vegetational caver in these areas as a 
result of human activities ; this reduction migh 
have caused a decrease in large mammals, and a 
corresponding reduction in tevels of trypanosome 
infection rates in Glossilzcc and subsequently in 
cattle. A correlation betxeen scarcity or abun- 
dance of game animals and levels of trypanosome 
infection rates in Glossina has been established 
(Lloyd and Johnson, l924 ; Vanderplank, 1947). 
‘The dry season feeding pattern for G. p. gn.?nbie7zsis 
in the reserve Monts Mandingues was a marked 
contrast to that in other sections of the zone ; 
bovids accounted for the highest number of feeds. 
The increased number of bovid feeds during the dry 
season in the reserve Monts Mandingues was pro- 
bablg as a result of increased contact between the 
two GZoss~nu species and bovids at the few watering 
holes available for both hosts and vectors during 
this period of t,he year. It is likely that in thc 
reserve Monts Mandingues, G. p. gambiensis 
contributes signifiçantly to the maintenance of 
animal trypanosomiasis. The number of blood 
meals of this species collected during the rainy 
season from the reserve Monts Mandingues were 
very few and consequently seasonal comparisons 
were not undertaken. 
The widespread but l«w levels of cattle trypa- 
nosomiasis found in areas with only G. p. ganr- 
Oiensis infest.ation, indicates that t,his species may 
be sipnificant. in the maintenance and transmis- 
sion 
= I 
of animal trypanosomiasis in Mali. As 
Maclennan (I969) not.ed, the signifkance of G. pnl- 
pabis in the ~pizootiology of aniÏna1 trypanosomiasis 
in West. Africa is probahly greatly underestimated. 
These st,udies werc’ jointly iînanccd by the Government. 
of the Reuublic of Mali and the Ilnited States Azencv for 
International Developrnent, tu whom we are gratèful. w We 
are indebted to Dr. A. Tell:, Head, New Lands Act.ivit.y, 
for bis encouragement. throughout the studies, the logistical 
support provided at various times by Dr. F. Traore, 
Dr. 0. Guindo and Mr. F. Lisse of the Mali Livestock II 
Project Management, Mrssrs. T. Teela and W. Çrosson of 
the International Consultinp Companv, Cbemonics, which 
provided technical assist.ancg, is appre&ted. These studies 
would not bave been possible, withoui- t,he assistance of 
Drs. P. F. L. Boreham and R. Killick-Kpndrick in analysing 
the blood meals. Finalll-, we wit,h fo thank Messrs 
C. Diarra, M. Diarrn, Ti. Sanoro, E. Coulibals, 0. Tome, 
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Natural hosts of Glossina morsitans submorsitans Newstead and Glossina palpalis gambiensis Vanderplank in the Republic of Mali

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