Pyrethroid treatment of cattle for tsetse control: reducing its impact on dung fauna.

ABSTRACT:

Background

African trypansomiases of humans and animals can be controlled by attacking the vectors, various species of tsetse fly. Treatment of cattle with pyrethroids to kill tsetse as they feed is the most cost-effective method. However, such treatments can contaminate cattle dung, thereby killing the fauna which disperse the dung and so play an important role in soil fertility. Hence there is a need to identify cost-effective methods of treating cattle with minimal impact on dung fauna.

Methodology/principal findings

We used dung beetles to field bioassay the levels of dung contamination following the use of spray and pour-on formulations of deltamethrin, applied to various parts of the body of cattle in Zimbabwe. Results suggested that dung was contaminated by contact wi

SUBMITTER: Vale GA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4349886 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature