Genetic Diversity of African Trypanosomes in Tsetse Flies and Cattle From the Kafue Ecosystem.

We clarified the genetic diversity of spp. within the Kafue ecosystem, using PCR targeting the internal transcribed spacer 1 and the cathepsin L-like cysteine protease (CatL) sequences. The overall prevalence of spp. in cattle and tsetse flies was 12.65 and 26.85%, respectively. Cattle positive for had a significantly lower packed cell volume, suggesting that is the dominant spp. causing anemia in this area. Among the 12 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) of CatL sequences detected, one was from a known lineage, two OTUs were from known -like lineages, and nine OTUs were considered novel -like lineages. These findings support previous reports that indicated the extensive diversity of -like lineages. The findings also indicate that combining CatL PCR with next generation sequencing is useful in assessing spp. diversity, especially for and -like lineages. In addition, the 5.42% prevalence of found in cattle raises concern in the community and requires careful monitoring of human African trypanosomiasis.