Is a tsetse fly fatal?

Is a tsetse fly fatal?

Sleeping sickness is caused by parasites transmitted by infected tsetse flies and is endemic in 36 sub-Saharan African countries where there are tsetse flies that transmit the disease. Without treatment, the disease is considered fatal.

How does the tsetse fly bite?

When an infected tsetse fly bites humans or other mammals for its blood meal, microscopic parasites (African trypanosomes) in their saliva are in turn transmitted and the recipient often faces severe health consequences, even death.

How are tsetse flies affect humans?

Tsetse flies (Glossina spp.) feed exclusively on vertebrate blood, and in so doing they can transmit species of trypanosome (Trypanosoma spp.) that cause the diseases of nagana in domestic animals and sleeping sickness in humans [1].

How do you prevent tsetse fly bites?

Prevent tsetse fly bites by taking the following steps:

1. Cover exposed skin by wearing long-sleeved shirts, long pants, and hats.
2. Avoid bushes during the day; the fly rests in bushes and will bite if disturbed.
3. Inspect vehicles for tsetse flies before entering.

Is tsetse fly a parasite?

Tsetse flies include all the species in the genus Glossina, which are placed in their own family, Glossinidae. The tsetse are obligate parasites that live by feeding on the blood of vertebrate animals.

What parasite causes African sleeping sickness?

African Trypanosomiasis, also known as “sleeping sickness”, is caused by microscopic parasites of the species Trypanosoma brucei. It is transmitted by the tsetse fly (Glossina species), which is found only in sub-Saharan Africa.

What diseases does a tsetse fly cause?

Tsetse fly. African sleeping sickness also called African trypanosomiasis is a parasitic disease of humans and many other animals, African sleeping sickness is caused by an insect thus making it an insect borne illness which is caused by a tsetse fly carrying the African trypanosomiasis parasites.

Do dark colors really attract tsetse flies?

The tsetse fly is attracted to bright colors , very dark colors, metallic fabric, and the color blue.” People who live in or are traveling to sub-saharan Africa avoid tsetse flies because they bite, and can transmit the parasite Trypanosoma brucei which causes human African trypanosomiasis (HAT,) also referred to as African sleeping sickness.

Which disease does tsetse fly transmit?

Tsetse fly, (genus Glossina ), also spelled tse-tse, also called tik-tik fly, any of about two to three dozen species of bloodsucking flies in the housefly family, Muscidae (order Diptera), that occur only in Africa and transmit sleeping sickness (African trypanosomiasis) in humans and a similar disease called nagana in domestic animals.

Are tsetse Flys an issue?

Despite their innocuous resemblance to the common house fly, tsetse flies are the source of a serious public health concern in the Sub-saharan African countries where they most commonly occur. The blood sucking insect is the transmitting vector of trypanosomes, parasites which cause sleeping sickness in humans and animals.