About factors that determine trypanotolerance and prospects for increasing resistance against trypanosomosis

Abstract

The current threat of African trypanosomosis on sustainable livestock production and food security
coupled with failure of tse-tse fly control, chemotherapy and chemoprophylaxis to control the present
resurgence of the disease has increased the imperative need for increasing trypanotolerance in
livestock. The innate ability of trypanosome infected animals to control anaemia and development of
parasitaemia are some of the indicators of trypanotolerance. In the last few years, research had aimed
at identifying the various factors involved in trypanotolerance. Even though haematopoietic and antitrypanosome
serum lytic factors have been associated with ability to control the development of
anaemia and parasite respectively, trypanotolerance is a genetically defined complex mechanism
involving factors which are not yet well known. Recent molecular based research using mice and cattle
identified genomic regions controlling trypanotolerance in animals. Although these biotechnologies
have not been able to identify the complete pool of genes involved in trypanotolerance, they have
raised the hope of producing synthetic breeds of animals with higher trypanotolerance level, and
enhancing the tolerance of susceptible breeds.