Tsetse flies (Glossinidae)

Abstract

Tsetse flies (Glossina spp.) have undergone evolutionary adaptations that facilitate their ability to feed solely on vertebrate blood and give birth to live young. These flies serve as cyclic vectors of pathogenic African trypanosomes, and as such, are of critical importance to human health and agricultural development in sub-Saharan Africa. This article covers several aspects of tsetse fly biology including fly-trypanosome interactions, fly-symbiont interactions, ecological and physiological aspects relating to host location and feeding, as well as aspects related to their unique reproductive biology. These topics are followed by a synopsis of strategies used to prevent African trypanosomiasis. The high investment in progeny development by Glossina leads to low fecundity, but even so, these flies show resilience following control that makes population suppression transient if multi-targeted strategies are not continuously used. Extended periods of tsetse fly suppression will require coordination between public and private organizations at both the national and supranational levels. Importantly, tsetse flies are unlike other insect pests and thus require control programs that are informed by research relating to their ecological distribution, movement, and unique biology.