Genetic code of bloodsucking tsetse fly cracked

Scientists said Thursday they have cracked the genetic code of thetsetse fly, potentially helping to tackle one of sub-Saharan Africa's most devastatinglivestock diseases as well as human sleeping sickness."Decoding the tsetse fly's DNA is a major scientific breakthrough," said KostasBourtzis from a joint body of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization and theInternational Atomic Energy Agency which sequenced the genome in a 10-year international effort.He said it "opens the way for more effective control of trypanosomiasis, which isgood news for millions of herders and farmers in sub-Saharan Africa".Found only in Africa, bloodsucking tsetse flies are vectors for the parasites thatcause trypanosomiasis, or nagana, an often-lethal disease that affects some threemillion animals each year.It leads to a debilitating chronic condition that reduces fertility, weight gain andmilk production, and makes livestock too weak for ploughing or transport, which inturn makes it harder for farmers to grow crops. Humans bitten by carrier flies can develop African sleeping sickness, which can befatal without treatment.No vaccine exists for livestock or humans because the parasite is able to evademammals' immune systems, so control methods primarily involve trapping,pesticides and sterilising male flies using radiation.The sequencing of the genome will allow scientists to better study the fly’s genesand their functions, knowledge that should open the door for researching ways tocontrol the insect, Bourtzis said in a statement."Detection and treatment of trypanosomiasis is currently expensive, difficult anddangerous for the livestock as it often involves toxic drugs," he said."But this new knowledge will accelerate research on tsetse control methods and helpscientists develop new and complementary strategies to reduce the use of costlydrugs and insecticides."The FAO and IAEA's Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture iscurrently helping 14 African countries to control tsetse populations usingsterilisation and other methods, with the fly already eradicated on the island ofZanzibar and progress being made in Ethiopia and Senegal.A first set of findings on the tsetse fly genome was due to be published in the journal Science on Friday.