First detection of Trypanosoma vivax in dairy cattle from the northwest region of Minas Gerais, Brazil

Abstract

Bovine trypanosomiasis is caused by the flagellated protozoan Trypanosoma vivax. It is biologically transmitted only in the African continent by the flies of the genus Glossina spp. It was brought to the American continent by European colonists in the 19th century, and although its main mechanical vector was a dipteran of the genus Tabanus spp. (Costa, 2018; Bastos et al., 2017), other dipterans such as Stomoxys calcitrans and Haematobia irritans also cause mechanical transmission (Cadioli et al., 2012). However, sharing of needles and syringes, especially for oxytocin administration in dairy cattle, is associated with a greater risk of spread of the protozoan in herds (Bastos et al., 2017)