Animal trypanosomiasis
Other sub-species of the parasite cause animal trypanosomiasis,
which are pathogenic to animals and are often different from those that cause
the disease in humans. Animals can carry parasites, especially T.b. rhodesiense;
domestic and wild animals are a major reservoir. They can also be infected with
T. b. gambiense, though the precise role of this reservoir is not well known.
The two human and animal forms of the disease remain a major obstacle to the
development of rural regions of sub-Saharan Africa: human loss, decimation of
cattle and abandonment of fertile land where the disease is
rife.
