Trypanosome Diversity, Host Range, and Transmission Ecology in Nigerian Wildlife-Livestock Interfaces in the Savanna Woodland of Kwara State, North Central Nigeria

Nigeria's savanna woodland zones support a rich wildlife fauna that may serve as reservoir hosts for diverse Trypanosoma species, yet the ecological dynamics of trypanosome circulation at the wildlife-livestock interface and the implications for human African trypanosomiasis risk in these zones remain poorly understood. This doctoral research investigates trypanosome diversity, host range, and transmission ecology at the wildlife-livestock interface in Kwara State, North Central Nigeria. A cross-sectional and longitudinal ecological design was employed at three game reserve-adjacent communities in Offa, Ekiti, and Irepodun Local Government Areas. Wildlife-derived blood samples were collected from 150 rodents, 80 monkeys, and 60 reptiles captured using live traps and chemical immobilisation under ethical permit. Domestic livestock including cattle, sheep, and goats from 30 adjacent farms were sampled by jugular venepuncture. Trypanosome species were detected by PCR amplification of the ITS1 region and 18S rRNA, with sequencing for species assignment and phylogenetic placement. Tsetse fly Glossina species composition and infection rates were assessed using biconical traps set across the interface zones seasonally. Evidence from 2020 to 2024 documents previously uncharacterised Trypanosoma species in West African wildlife, with wildlife serving as maintenance hosts sustaining tsetse infection between domestic animal transmission events. This study generates the first comprehensive trypanosome diversity and transmission ecology dataset for Kwara State's wildlife-livestock interface. Keywords: trypanosome diversity, wildlife-livestock interface, Kwara State, transmission ecology, Glossina.