High Frequency and Activity of Glossina spp., Vectors of Human African Trypanosomiasis along a Secondary Forest-Man Made Transect in Makokou (North East-Gabon)

Abstract

The abundance, species diversity and diurnal activity rhythm of hematophagous glossineswere evaluated by trapping using 15 Vavoua traps, during the rainy season (25th Sept-5th Oct to 21st Oct-9th Nov 2018), in two habitats: secondary forest and Anthropised milieu, in the biosphere reserve Ipassa-IRET Makokou in Gabon. In total, 489 glossines were caught with 245 collected from Village-Town site and regrouped under 4 species [G.p.palpalis (32.17%), G. frezili (36.23%), G. nashi (29.57%) and G. f. fuscipes (2.03%)] while 244 were collected from forest and regrouped under 3 species [G.p.palpalis (61.48%), G. nashi (28.69%) and G. frezili (0.84%)]. The abundance of glossines was higher in the Village-Town milieu (2.88 g/t/d) as compared to the forest (2.34 g/t/d) with no statistically significant difference (P>0.05). Glossines showed a unimodal diurnal activity rhythm with peak between 10h-12h in the two milieu and was dominated by females.