Plant Biochemistry

Abstract

In protein-starved Africa, any disease that prevents the raising of livestock is a serious threat to man. Trypanosomosis is without doubt the most serious of these. It has been studied extensively in ruminants, but much less in the pig. L. E. Stephen, formerly Officer-in-Charge of the West African Institute for Trypanosomiasis Research, Vom, Northern Nigeria, has performed a real service by bringing together the scattered literature on porcine trypanosome infections.The native African village pig is a poor specimen, but it does manage to survive and it has some value as a scavenger. When European breeds are introduced into tsetse areas, they quickly die of trypanosomosis. Native pigs are relatively resistant, but they, too, often succumb.By far the most important cause of porcine trypanosomosis is Trypanosoma simiae. Bruce et al. (1913) first described it from monkeys and goats, but Montgomery and Kinghorn (1909) had previously seen it in a pig, and this is its most important host.