The prevalence of trypanosome infections in goats at Niassa National Reserve, Mozambique

African animal trypanosomosis (AAT), a debilitating tsetse-transmitted parasitic disease, is a major constraint to livestock ruminant production in Sub-Saharan Africa. In the southern Africa region, the main Trypanosoma species causing AAT include T. brucei, T. vivax and T. congolense. All three species have been described in acute, subacute, chronic or subclinical cases of AAT in goats. In the tsetse belt region, goat infections are estimated at 40 million per year. Despite this, the role of these small ruminants in the epidemiology of AAT is yet to be fully understood. To determine trypanosome prevalence and contribute to the understanding of the role of these small ruminants in the epidemiology of trypanosomosis, at Niassa National Reserve (NNR), a cross-sectional survey was conducted between July and September 2018 in five districts located inside the NNR (Sanga, Mavago, Majune, Marrupa and Mecula), Niassa Province, Mozambique. A total of 416 goat blood samples were collected and screened for trypanosomes using microscopy and Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). The overall prevalence was 0.96%, out of which, 0.72% corresponded to T. congolense and 0.24% to T. vivax . Mecula was the district with the highest prevalence (0.48%), followed by Sanga and Majune (both with 0.24%). Considering the aforementioned results, the role of goats in the epidemiology of the disease, within the NNR, may be considered negligible.