Acting as the biological vector of the parasite causing human sleeping sickness, the tsetse flies population has a strong impact on sub-Saharan Africa.Credit: blickwinkel / Alamy Stock Photo
An international team including researchers in Senegal and Burkina Faso has developed software for modelling the population dynamics of tsetse flies. It should help efforts to understand and control the insect which carries the trypanosome microbial parasites responsible for various diseases in humans and animals, including sleeping sickness.
Diseases caused by trypanosomes are a significant threat in Africa, affecting both healthcare and the agriculture-based economies.
“Better understanding the spatio-temporal dynamics of the [disease] vectors in a heterogeneous environment is crucial for better targeting their management,” says Pauline Ezanno, research director at INRAE in France and who provided modelling expertise for the team.
Researchers in Senegal and Burkina Faso contributed their knowledge and data on the tsetse species present in Africa, especially in the Niayes region of Senegal. This provided essential field-based input for the modelling process, which was combined with data from laboratory studies.
Ezanno explains that the model can be used to highlight the main drivers of tsetse fly population dynamics in varied environments and to identify the most efficient strategies to decrease the population using the limited resources generally available in Africa.
For instance, the model can identify specific highly localised regions where control efforts could be most effective. It can also identify likely refuge areas for the flies which could jeopardise the efficiency of control efforts.
“The code for the model is open source so that it can easily be re-used and adapted,” Ezanno adds.
