Tropentag, September 17 - 19, 2014 in Prague, Czech Republic "Bridging the gap between increasing knowledge and decreasing resources"

Trypanosomosis Rational Chemotherapy - TRYRAC: Improved Trypanosomoses Management in a Community-Based Approach

¹Freie Universität Berlin, Institute for Parasitology and Tropical Veterinary Medecine, Germany
²Independent Scientific Consultant, Germany
³Leibniz Universität Hannover, Inst. of Development and Agricultural Economics, Germany
⁴Vétérinaires Sans Frontières Belgique, Belgium
⁵Centre International de Recherche-Developpement sur l'Elevage en Zone Subhumide, Burkina Faso
⁶National Animal Health Diagnostic and Investigation Centre, Ethiopia
⁷University of Pretoria, South Africa
⁸Direction de l'Elevage, Togo
⁹Université de Lomé, Togo
¹⁰Universidade Eduardo Mondlane, Mozambique
¹¹Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Italy
¹²University of Glasgow, United Kingdom
¹³University of Antwerp, Inst. of Tropical Medicine, Belgium

Abstract

TRYRAC is a 5-year project (2012-2017) funded by the Global Programme on Agricultural Research for Development (ARD) of the European Commission. Its main objective is improving trypanosomoses management of African livestock smallholders by providing state-of-the-art African Animal Trypanosomoses control strategies to smallholder livestock keepers in tsetse-infested areas of Togo, Ethiopia and Mozambique. Thereby, the project targets the following national and international structures: veterinary diagnostic laboratories, veterinary and extension services, agricultural development parastatals, NGOs and farmer groups, policy makers and international organisations and alliances. During the first year of the project, AAT prevalence and trypanocidal resistance have been determined in Togo and Ethiopia. Also, trypanocidal drugs from veterinary pharmacies and informal markets were sampled in both countries and sent to be analysed by an OIE reference laboratory in Senegal. Furthermore, fact finding missions to Togo and Ethiopia were conducted during autumn 2013 in order to explore veterinary services, trypanocide usage, farmers' awareness and tsetse habitats. There, limited accessibility to professional veterinary care, abundance of trypanocides with unknown quality and gaps in smallholder knowledge were identified as major constraints to a better disease management. The compiled findings were communicated to the African target groups through stakeholder meetings that were held in the vicinity of AAT hotspot regions of Togo and Ethiopia in spring 2014. During these meetings farmers' associations and communities were encouraged to form committees for revolving-funds-based insecticidal/acaricidal spraying as part of a best bet strategy package. Targeted vector control, alongside the selection of effective trypanocides, promotion of rational drug use, targeted and strategic deworming of young cattle are part of this package which is currently being provided to smallholder farmers. These model herds will serve as demonstration plots during farmers' workshops, regularly held by community-based organisations, while rational drug use is being disseminated throughout the study area. Impact assessment will take place by longitudinal studies that include biological monitoring and questionnaires. WEBSITE: http://www.trypanocide.eu/

Keywords: AAT, Ethiopia, rational drug use, targeted spraying, Togo, trypanosomosis, vector control

Contact Address: Antje Hoppenheit, Freie Universität Berlin, Institute for Parasitology and Tropical Veterinary Medecine, Robert-Von-Ostertag-Str. 7-13, 14163 Berlin, Germany, e-mail: antje.hoppenheitfu-berlin.de