Eastern Africa Network for Trypanosomosis (EANETT)

• Forschungsstelle: TPH
• Projektnummer: 3.04
• Projekttitel Englisch: Eastern Africa Network for Trypanosomosis (EANETT)

Schlüsselwörter (Englisch)

African trypanosomiasis, sleeping sickness, disease control, training, technology transfer, regional network, East Africa.

Kurzbeschreibung (Englisch)

Human African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness) occurs in over 30 subsaharan countries of Africa. East Africa is also affected by the disease and harbours epidemic foci in Uganda, Sudan and Tanzania. Such foci ask for bilateral collaborations to control the disease beyond boundaries. The Swiss Tropical Institute was the initiator for the foundation of the 'Eastern Africa Network for Trypanosomiasis' (EANETT) in the year 1999. The Swiss Directorate for Developent and Cooperation (SDC) is contributing a core funding to the network which consists of institutions in Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Sudan and Malawi. Neighbouring countries like Zambia are invited to join the network provided there is a HAT problem in that country. Activities of EANETT comprise disease surveillance and control, technical exchange, training and extension to end users. The network is administered by a board of management, evaluation and planning is covered by an Annual Conference.

Projektziele (Englisch)

Objectives fir the 2nd phase of EANETT 2004-2007 are:

1. To assess the prevalence of sleeping sickness in specific regions of the network to enable the countries to develop diagnostic and therapeutic services for such areas.

2. To do collaborative research in the field of drug resistant trypanosomes, transmission by different types of tsetse flies as well as in public health of sleeping sickness.

3.To carry out training activities for national capacity building in the field of trypanosomiasis research and control by technical workshops, technical transfers, an Annual Conference, and by individual career development through MSc and PhD programmes.

4. To extend the network to neighbouring countries which are affected by sleeping sickness and animal trypanosomiasis and integrate national institutions in EANETT.

5. To increase the external funding from national and international agencies for collaborative research, surveillance and training activities of network partners.

6. To build up an information network to assure and sustain exchange of information within and beyond the network and establish regular exchange with health and agricultural extension services to foster communication of research results to the end users.

Abstract (Englisch)

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Publikationen / Ergebnisse (Englisch)

Matovu, E., Stewart, M.L., Geiser, F., Brun, R., Mäser, P., Wallace, L. J.M., Burchmore, R.J., Enyaru, J. C. K., Barrett, M. P., Kaminsky, R., Seebeck, T. and De Koning, H. P. The mechanisms of arsenical and diamidine uptake and resistance in Trypanosoma brucei. Eukaryot. Cell, 2 (5), 1003-1008 (2003).

Brun, R., Schumacher, R., Schmid, C., Kunz, C. & Burri, C. The phenomenon of treatment failures in human African trypanosomosis. Trop. Med. Int. Health 6, 906-914 (2001).

Burri, C. & Brun, R. Human African Trypanosomiasis. In: Manson's Tropical Diseases,
21st edition, p. 1303-1323. Eds. G.C. Cook & A.I. Zumla. Saunders/Elsevier Science, Edingurgh (2003).

Matovu, E., Stewart, M.L., Geiser, F., Brun, R., Mäser, P., Wallace, L. J.M., Burchmore, R.J., Enyaru, J. C. K., Barrett, M. P., Kaminsky, R., Seebeck, T. and De Koning, H. P. The mechanisms of arsenical and diamidine uptake and resistance in Trypanosoma brucei. Eukaryot. Cell, 2 (5), 1003-1008 (2003).

Maina NWN, Kunz C, Brun R. Cryopreservation of Trypanosoma brucei gambiense in a commercial cryomedium developed for bull semen. Acta Trop 98(3), 207-11 (2006).

Maina N.W.N., Oberle M., Otieno C., Kunz C., Maeser P., Ndung’u J.M.,Brun R. Isolation and propagation of Trypanosoma brucei gambiense from sleeping sickness patients in South Sudan. Trans. R. Soc. Trop. Med. Hyg. In press (2007).