Sleeping sickness survey in Musoma district, Tanzania. II. The role of Glossina in the transmission of sleeping sickness.

A survey to determine the role of local Glossina species on the transmission of human sleeping sickness has been carried out in the Ikoma/Seronera/Kilimafedha triangle. Three different tsetse species were encountered; they were G. swyn¬ nertoni, G. pallidipes and G. brevipalpis. Out of 6,348 G. swynnertoni and 623 G. pallidipes examined not a single carried salivary gland infection. G. swynnertoni had a wide range of vertebrate hosts including bovids, suids, elephant, hippopo¬ tamus, primates, carnivores, aardvark and avians, of which buffalo, warthog and giraffe were the hosts most generally favoured. Comparison of the feeding patterns of this species showed that G. swynnertoni is readily adaptable. The local tsetse species are primarily zoophilic and, since game was abundant, they attacked man only through chance meeting.