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How the stink of a waterbuck could prevent sleeping sickness in Kenya
A collar worn by livestock containing animal odour repellent to the tsetse fly could transform the lives of farmers in Kenya
Laila Ali in Mombasa
guardian.co.uk, <TIME itemprop="datePublished" datetime="2013-01-15T06:12EST" pubdate="">Tuesday 15 January 2013 06.12 EST
The tsetse fly, found in 37 countries in sub-Saharan Africa, can be a curse for smallholder farmers and their families. The flies carry the trypanosome parasite that can cause sleeping sickness in humans and nagana in livestock. But a group of scientists in Nairobi is developing a powerful insect repellent using the stench of waterbucks, a type of large antelope.
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"Every year we lose three million cows because of the disease; 60 million cows are also affected. The flies are one of the main reasons why 80% of the land in Africa is tilled by hand ? simply because we don't have enough animal power," says Dr Rajinder Saini, head of ICIPE's animal health division and principal scientist. "Fewer livestock also leads to less manure that could be used as organic fertiliser, which leads to lower yields of crop and fodder plant.
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"Waterbucks stink; lions leave them alone because of the smell and flies leave them alone because of the sweat. We identified the pertinent odour of waterbucks and brought it down to a handful of chemical components that are responsible for keeping the flies at bay. We put the chemical into a dispenser tube that can be tied into the neck of a cow," says Professor Christian Borgemeister, director general at ICIPE. "The collar puts a coat of a waterbuck over a cow; as the herd moves along, the flies sense the cow as a waterbuck and stay away."
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Full text:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-de...ink-waterbuck-prevent-sleeping-sickness-kenya</TIME>
A collar worn by livestock containing animal odour repellent to the tsetse fly could transform the lives of farmers in Kenya
Laila Ali in Mombasa
guardian.co.uk, <TIME itemprop="datePublished" datetime="2013-01-15T06:12EST" pubdate="">Tuesday 15 January 2013 06.12 EST
The tsetse fly, found in 37 countries in sub-Saharan Africa, can be a curse for smallholder farmers and their families. The flies carry the trypanosome parasite that can cause sleeping sickness in humans and nagana in livestock. But a group of scientists in Nairobi is developing a powerful insect repellent using the stench of waterbucks, a type of large antelope.
...
"Every year we lose three million cows because of the disease; 60 million cows are also affected. The flies are one of the main reasons why 80% of the land in Africa is tilled by hand ? simply because we don't have enough animal power," says Dr Rajinder Saini, head of ICIPE's animal health division and principal scientist. "Fewer livestock also leads to less manure that could be used as organic fertiliser, which leads to lower yields of crop and fodder plant.
...
"Waterbucks stink; lions leave them alone because of the smell and flies leave them alone because of the sweat. We identified the pertinent odour of waterbucks and brought it down to a handful of chemical components that are responsible for keeping the flies at bay. We put the chemical into a dispenser tube that can be tied into the neck of a cow," says Professor Christian Borgemeister, director general at ICIPE. "The collar puts a coat of a waterbuck over a cow; as the herd moves along, the flies sense the cow as a waterbuck and stay away."
...
Full text:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-de...ink-waterbuck-prevent-sleeping-sickness-kenya</TIME>