Microarchitecture of the tsetse fly proboscis

Tsetse fly microbiota: form and function

Tsetse flies are the primary vectors of African trypanosomes, which cause Human and Animal African trypanosomiasis in 36 countries in sub-Saharan Africa. These flies have also established symbiotic associations with bacterial and viral microorganisms. Laboratory-reared tsetse flies harbor up to four vertically transmitted organisms-obligate Wigglesworthia, commensal Sodalis, parasitic Wolbachia...

Human population growth and the extinction of the tsetse fly

Agricultural expansion is a major cause of biodiversity loss worldwide. In Africa, biologists have observed that the populations of some tsetse species, which transmit human and livestock trypanosomosis, decline or disappear as human populations grow and farmers clear fly habitat for cultivation. The objectives of this paper are to synthesize the available information concerning human and tsets...

Tsetse EP Protein Protects the Fly Midgut from Trypanosome Establishment

African trypanosomes undergo a complex developmental process in their tsetse fly vector before transmission back to a vertebrate host. Typically, 90% of fly infections fail, most during initial establishment of the parasite in the fly midgut. The specific mechanism(s) underpinning this failure are unknown. We have previously shown that a Glossina-specific, immunoresponsive molecule, tsetse EP p...

Development in the Tsetse Fly Obligate Symbionts Activate Immune System

Sex separation of tsetse fly pupae using near-infrared spectroscopy.

Implementation of the sterile insect technique for tsetse (Glossina spp.) requires that only sterile male insects be released; thus, at some stage of the fly production process the females have to be removed. A further constraint in the use of the sterile insect technique for tsetse is that the females are needed for colony production and hence, a non-destructive method of sex separation is req...