What is the importance of TseTse fly?

Tsetse flies are bloodsucking flies of the genus Glossina. They occur only in tropical Africa and are important as vectors of African trypanosomiasis in both humans and animals. Sleeping sickness, as it is commonly called, is generally fatal in humans if left untreated.

How would the TseTse fly affect Africa’s economy?

This paper tests the hypothesis that the TseTse reduced the ability of Africans to generate an agricultural surplus historically. Ethnic groups inhabiting TseTse-suitable areas were less likely to use domesticated animals and the plow, less likely to be politically centralized and had a lower population density.

How does the TseTse fly impact agriculture?

Each year in Africa the tsetse fly causes more than US$4 billion in agriculture income losses, kills three million livestock and infects up to 75,000 people with trypanosomiasis, according to the UN.

How many people do TseTse flies kill a year?

Estimated Number of the Deaths When left untreated, the mortality rate of African sleeping sickness is close to 100\%. It is estimated that 50,000 to 500,000 people die from this disease every year.

How are tsetse flies affect humans?

Tsetse flies (Glossina spp.) feed exclusively on vertebrate blood, and in so doing they can transmit species of trypanosome (Trypanosoma spp.) that cause the diseases of nagana in domestic animals and sleeping sickness in humans [1].

How does the tsetse fly spread disease?

It is caused by infection with protozoan parasites belonging to the genus Trypanosoma. They are transmitted to humans by tsetse fly (Glossina genus) bites which have acquired their infection from human beings or from animals harbouring human pathogenic parasites.

How did tsetse fly affect the people of ancient Africa?

Tsetse flies, through the cyclical transmission of trypanosomiasis to both humans and their animals, greatly influence food production, natural-resource utilization and the pattern of human settlement throughout much of sub-Saharan Africa.

Why is tsetse fly distribution limited to Africa?

To oversimplify, moisture availability is limiting to the north and low temperatures limit southern distribution. Thus tsetse flies are largely confined to sub-Saharan Africa, although relict populations of G.

What is the life cycle of tsetse fly?

Female tsetse mate just once. After 7 – 9 days she produces a single egg which develops into a larva within her uterus. About nine days later, the mother produces a larva which burrows into the ground where it pupates. The mother continues to produce a single larva at roughly nine day intervals for her entire life.

Does sleeping sickness still exist?

Without treatment, sleeping sickness typically results in death. The disease occurs regularly in some regions of sub-Saharan Africa with the population at risk being about 70 million in 36 countries. An estimated 11,000 people are currently infected with 2,800 new infections in 2015. In 2018 there were 977 new cases.

Is sleeping sickness real?

Parasites – African Trypanosomiasis (also known as Sleeping Sickness) African Trypanosomiasis, also known as “sleeping sickness”, is caused by microscopic parasites of the species Trypanosoma brucei. It is transmitted by the tsetse fly (Glossina species), which is found only in sub-Saharan Africa.

Is African sleeping sickness a virus?

Human African trypanosomiasis, also known as sleeping sickness, is a vector-borne parasitic disease. It is caused by infection with protozoan parasites belonging to the genus Trypanosoma.