R5955CB – Field testing ELISA to help control trypanosomiasis*

• Bovine trypanosomiasis in sub-Saharan Africa is a major constraint to livestock productivity and poverty alleviation as some 40 million cattle are kept in tsetse infested areas. • Trypanocidal drugs remain the primary means of trypanosomiasis control for farmers. • Until recently, no accurate way to measure trypanocidal drug levels in animals existed to help optimise drug use. Improved drug use would save farmers scarce cash and minimise environmental damage. • The project successfully developed and field-tested trypanocidal drug–ELISAs (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays) in Kenya, Tanzania and Zambia. The technology was transferred and is now well established in these three countries. Local personnel were trained to conduct assays and completed over 10,000 determinations (iterations of assays). • Targeted, user-friendly software was developed to conduct qualityassurance analyses and data collation. This information, along with data on parasitology and productivity, was put into a database. • The technology – and the skills needed to use it – will enable local researchers to collect information to advise farmers on appropriate drug use.