Abstract:

In Buikwe Country, Mukono District, between April 2001 and March 2002, the effectiveness of the following methods of controlling nagana in cattle: Diminazene aceturate therapy; deltamethrine impregnated pyramidal traps; Diminazene aceturate chemotherapy plus application of deltamethrin on chemoprophylaxis plus deltamethrine impregnated traps; cattle; isometamidium deminazene aceturate chemotherapy plus deltamethrine impregnated traps and isometamidium chloride chemoprophylasxis plus deltamethrine application on cattle were evaluated. The evaluation was done by assessing the effect of the control strategy on trypanosome infection rates in cattle and in tsetse flies, the haematocrit of cattle and the apparent density of tsetse flies in the study area. The combination of prophylactic treatment with isometamiduim chloride plus deltamethrine application on cattle (live bait) performed the best by way of reducing the tsetse apparent density (P<0.05), improving haematocrit (P<0.05) and reducing the trypanosome infection rates in cattle and tsetse flies. Sole use of traps and Diminazene aceturate treatments separately performed worst. Therefore, it was recommended that for control of bovine trypanosomosis, isometamedium chloride chemoprophylaxis plus deltamethrine application on cattle should be advocated for; preferably after the cost effectiveness of this strategy has been studies later. Chemotherapy with Diminazene aceturate should be reserved for clearing of cattle herds of trypanosomes and not for prophyloxis.