Authors

B Jordaan¹; L H Du Preez¹; E C Netherlands ¹ North-West University, South Africa;  ² North West University Potchefstroom , South Africa

Discussion

Trypanosoma is a genus of extracellular haemoparasitic protozoa, known to infect all vertebrate classes and is globally present. Several species of Trypanosoma are known to cause dangerous diseases in humans and livestock. The aquatic and terrestrial trypanosome clades could provide insight into the evolutionary history of the genus, as well as complimentary information for biomedical studies of medically and economically important species of Trypanosoma. The ecological interactions and phylogeny of aquatic trypanosomes is currently not well-understood, mostly due to their complex life cycles and a deficiency of data. The species of Trypanosoma of African anurans, of which there are 13 recognised species, are one of the least understood groups. Trypanosoma nelspruitense Laveran 1904 is the only anuran trypanosome species described from South Africa. Blood samples from Amietia delalandii (Common River Frog) specimens were collected from various sites in South Africa, including the type locality. Microscopic screening of the stained blood smears found that nine specimens were infected with trypanosomes. Two overlapping fragments of the 18S rRNA gene were targeted for phylogenetic analysis. In the present study, morphological, morphometric, and molecular data of three species of Trypanosoma (including T. nelspruitense) from South African anurans is presented. This is the first study to provide molecular data for species of Trypanosoma from South African anurans, setting a platform for future research.