The ts fly is a carrier of a deadly disease. Tsetse fly insect

Despite their intrusiveness, flies are considered fairly harmless insects that are often annoying but do little harm. Moreover, flies help maintain species diversity plants and occupy an important link in the food chain. However, some species of these insects can pose a serious threat to human health and even human life. This includes the tsetse fly.

Tsetse, or Glossina, is a whole genus of flies in the family Glossinidae, which includes more than twenty different species. These insects are called the scourge of Africa, because even at the present time, despite everything scientific achievements, they continue to exterminate livestock and claim thousands of human lives.

The tsetse fly has a reddish-gray chest with two pairs of longitudinal dark brown stripes and a yellow-gray abdomen. At first glance, it practically does not differ from the usual room, surpassing the latter only in body size - 9-14 mm. However, there are also character traits, allowing to recognize representatives of the genus Glossina:

1. The nature of the folding of the wings. Unlike other species, at rest, the tsetse fly folds its wings in such a way that they overlap each other like scissor blades.
2. Hair on awns. On the antennae of the insect there are awns with thin hairs, branched at the ends.
3. Proboscis. Common houseflies have a lick-sucking oral apparatus and cannot bite through the skin, and the hematophagous genus Glossina has a thick oblong proboscis attached to the bottom of the head and directed forward.
4. Wing pattern. The veins on the wings of the tsetse fly look very peculiar - they clearly show an ax-shaped pattern.

This video talks about the consequences of a tsetse fly bite:

Habitat

Glossina lives mainly in equatorial and subequatorial Africa and brings certain benefits to the continent, helping to protect territories from overgrazing and soil erosion, which is usually caused by an abundance of cattle.

According to the famous West German zoologist Bernhard Grzimek, many areas of wildlife habitat where the tsetse fly has been able to survive untouched by humans solely thanks to this insect.

Exist a large number of species this insect. Fortunately, they cannot survive on the territory of the CIS countries because of the climate

According to the habitat, representatives of the genus Glossina are divided into three groups:

• Fusca living in the forest zone;
• Morsitans, who prefer savannas and savanna forests;
• Palpalis living in coastal areas with rich vegetation.

The gradual expansion of wooded areas has led to an increase in the population of tsetse and the spread of most species of this insect (including varieties that are carriers of infections).

Fortunately, in countries former USSR deadly flies do not survive - the climate is too cold for them.

Nutrition and reproduction

All tsetse species are viviparous and are born ready to pupate.

It is curious that the female mates only once in her life, after which she gives birth to one larva twice a month. Having emerged into the world, the larva immediately burrows into moist soil and pupates. The adult hatching process takes a few seconds, and after a minute the newborn tsetse looks fully formed and is ready to fly in search of food. On average, each female gives birth to 8-12 larvae in her life.

The tsetse fly feeds on blood, which makes it an even more dangerous insect.

Unlike less exotic insects, which require blood solely to start their reproductive function, tsetse are true hematophagous. Representatives of this species have very wide food preferences and drink the blood of small birds, reptiles, domestic animals, cattle and people with equal pleasure.

Only zebras do not suffer from tsetse attacks - they are saved by a black and white color that disorientates African flies.

Glossina even attack cars, because initially looking for a victim, focusing on the thermal radiation emanating from it. Approaching the intended prey, the insect "switches" to the search for the selected carbon dioxide and acetone. The fly flies up completely silently, remaining invisible until the attack - it is thanks to this feature that it received the nickname "silent killer".

Having reached the victim, tsetse pierces her skin with a sharp proboscis and injects saliva into the wound, which contains special enzymes that prevent blood clotting. After that, the insect drinks until it doubles in size. At each meal, the deadly fly drinks an amount of blood equal to its weight.

What is the danger of tsetse

These insects are not poisonous, so their bite in itself does not pose a threat to living beings.

Trypanosomes are the causative agents of dangerous diseases:

Despite the fact that tsetse bring certain benefits to the ecosystem, the threat they pose to animals and humans forces humanity to constantly fight these insects.

At the beginning of the last century, when the number of livestock was sharply reduced due to the African plague, the number of cases of infection with sleeping sickness also decreased. This circumstance gave rise to the shooting of hundreds of thousands of wild ungulates, lions and elephants, since it gave reason to assume that the fly only drinks the blood of large animals. However, mass destruction did not reduce the population of deadly insects - it later turned out that tsetse can also feed on the blood of small rodents, birds and lizards.

When it was found that the number of flies in wooded areas is much higher, people began to actively cut down trees and shrubs. Having found out that this method also does not give results (and in addition, causes great harm environment), the Africans switched to more benign measures - in particular, they began to build special traps with insecticides.

Deforestation is an extremely radical and far from always effective measure against dangerous creatures, in this case the tsetse fly.

Very original method fight against tsetse was invented on the islands of the Zanzibar archipelago. Scientists artificially raised several million flies, after which they separated the males from the females and sterilized the first ones by irradiating them with low doses of radiation. When males were released, they mated with females who considered themselves fertilized, but subsequently failed to give offspring.

At the moment, this method is the most effective - with its help, scientists expect to completely exterminate the genus Glossina over the next 30 years.

Interesting facts

An amazing insect that feeds exclusively on blood and is capable of destroying thousands of living beings could not help but become the object of meticulous research, during which a huge amount of curious information was revealed.

Interesting Facts about the insect:

1. The name for most peoples sounds strange and seems to be nonsense, but in the language of the African natives, tsetse means "killing cattle."
2. Half a million people living south of the Sahara are infected with trypanosomes as a result of the bite of Glossina.
3. The fact that the tsetse fly is a carrier of some kind of disease was known as early as the middle of the 19th century, but the mechanism of the disease began to be thoroughly studied only at the beginning of the last century.
4. More than 3 million heads of cattle suffer from an insect bite every year and up to 10 thousand people die.
5. In 1934, Howard Lovecraft created a story called "The Winged Death", which describes the death of a person from the bite of a "devil fly" and the subsequent transmigration of the victim's soul into the body of an insect. According to the protagonist, "the bite of such a fly means certain death for everyone and everything within seventy-five days."
6. A fly that senses its prey seeks to drink blood at all costs - even if you stun the tsetse or break its wings, the insect will still attempt to get to its prey.
7. In the 40s of the last century, strong insecticidal preparations were invented aimed at combating Glossina, but their use had to be abandoned - the substances posed a significant threat to the environment.
8. Among programmers, "tsetse" refers to a problem that occurs when a Seagate hard drive fails and is displayed in the error code LED: 00CC FAddr: 024A051.

Insects of the genus Glossina are deadly, so before visiting exotic African countries, you should definitely go through the vaccination procedure and stock up on all the necessary medicines, and in case of a bite, immediately seek medical help.

The tsetse fly is an insect of the GLOSSINIDAE family that lives on the African continent. Mostly the habitats of such flies are subtropical and tropical climatic zones. Flies look harmless and seem harmless, but, being a carrier of trypanosomiasis - "sleeping sickness", they cause not only pain and unpleasant symptoms, but also death. The article will consider the lifestyle and behavioral features of this insect - one of the most dangerous pests on the entire planet.

Appearance of the insect

The tsetse fly has unusual external characteristics, and you can verify this from the photo. The body of the insect is painted red grey colour, it has longitudinal stripes. The belly has a yellowish tint and is located close to the head, below it is gray. Based official testimony the differences between common house insects and tsetse flies are minimal but present.

1. They lie in the peculiarities of folding the wings, in tsetse they lie not parallel, but overlapping.
2. Tsetse has a proboscis with piercing properties. It is located in the head area in the front lower part, has a clear focus forward.
3. The tsetse fly in the middle of the wing is equipped with a characteristic pattern that looks like an ax. It has veins on the transparent wing.

There are 21 species of tsetse flies in nature, but not all of them pose a mortal danger to humans.

Nutrition

For a long 150 years, the tsetse fly has been feeding on the blood of mammals that inhabit African lands. There are no other food sources for this insect.

Reproduction features

The larvae of this insect do not look like immature individuals of their other counterparts. They do not lay eggs. All studied species of insects are viviparous, and by the time they are born, the larvae are already able to pupate. The gestation of the larva by the female lasts from 1 to 2 weeks, while it is deposited on the ground, in which it burrows and pupates. During the entire life span, the fly gives birth 8-10 times with a break of 2-3 months, after which it dies.

Tsetse mating

Insect habitats

The insect has chosen characteristic habitats for itself - these are damp land zones in tropical forests, as well as areas located near water bodies. Sometimes people have to leave the work of cultivating the fertile land near the rivers, as this is the usual habitat of the tsetse. When the territories of wooded savannahs increased, there were noticeably more individual representatives of these insects, including carriers of dangerous diseases.

insect danger

The tsetse fly is the main carrier of serious poisons, and the transfer occurs from one animal to another. At the same time, the pest does not have its own poison, so the bite in each situation can have a different effect. The greatest danger posed by this insect is “sleeping” sickness. In such a situation, after a bite in the absence of a qualified medical care the person falls into a coma and dies of cardiac arrest.

"Sleeping" disease can develop for a long time, sometimes it takes many years. A person subject to such a bite gradually turns into a "vegetable". Also, the insect strikes with its bites of zebras, domestic animals and livestock. And mules, goats and donkeys have good immunity to such bites. Despite the fact that within the entire continent, the tsetse fly is a serious obstacle to the normal life of people - a carrier of trypanos, there is no complete solution to this problem. Currently, scientists have to make a lot of efforts to find a solution to this problem. In Ethiopia, these flies are specially bred to search for insect control methods.

1. "Fly CC" is a serious problem among programmers, especially when a SEAGATE hard drive breaks down. This name arose because of the corresponding error code. After the action of the pest, recovery should be trusted to professionals, since this breakdown can cause enormous harm to the device.
2. It was the presence of these flies that could save the lands of the African continent from soil erosion, which can be and are the result of the action of cattle.
3. These flies are especially bloodthirsty, so they can attack not only people, but also any warm objects, including a car in which the engine is running. The coloration of zebras repels these insects, so these animals were able to protect themselves from the influence of poisons and diseases. There is also immunity against these insects in some representatives of livestock.
4. It is difficult to kill an insect due to the high speed and noiselessness of its flight. If you break the wings or stun, she will still be able to get to her victim and carry out a second attack, which will not be accompanied by the best consequences.

Thus, tsetse is a dangerous insect, the bite of which can sometimes be fatal. It can cause a disease - infection with trypanosomiasis. So, having decided to visit Africa - any countries of this continent, you need to be fully armed, and in case of the first symptoms, consult a specialist.

Tsetse, fly I

(Glossina morsitans) is a fly from the Muscidae family (see Flies), which is considered very poisonous in Africa. Systematically, C. belongs to the Stomoxydae group, which includes the European Stinger Fly (Stomoxys calcitrans), which also bites and can carry infection. The genus Glossina is distinguished by its very long proboscis; the mandibular tentacles are as long as the proboscis and serve as a vagina for it; 3rd antennal segment 4 times as long as 2nd. The genus Glossina includes several species, of which 4 live in central and western Africa (Gl. longipalpis, tabaniformis, morsitans and tachinoides). One species is found apparently in Australia. The name C. (and also in some areas - cymbus and tsatsalgo) refers mainly to G. morsitans, but also partly to other above-named species; therefore, the biological data reported by local residents and travelers refer to various species of the genus Glossina. At Gl. morsitans, similar in size to the house fly (Musca domestica), with a thin proboscis longer than the head; antennae three-segmented, with seta at end, covered with 15 hairs along entire length, directed in one direction. Chest rufous-gray with 4 dark brown longitudinal stripes; shield with two blackish spots; wings slightly smoky; legs yellowish with brown last tarsal segments. The abdomen is grayish-yellow above and light yellow below; the first segment of the abdomen with 2 small brown spots; all other segments have 2 blackish stripes on the anterior margin interrupted along the median line. C. is found in almost all of central Africa. More or less accurate information about C. appeared in the literature in 1852, when the famous English entomologist Westwood described this fly. A few years later, Livingston, during his famous travels, observed Ts. and reported on her in the press. After that, many travelers and observers mention C., however, quite accurate observations on the lifestyle of this fly still do not exist. C.'s development is unknown; in modern times only it became known that she, like many flies, is viviparous. C. is found in areas covered with sparse forests, especially near rivers, and is usually found in large masses.

These flies fly very fast (slower if they sucked blood) and buzz sharply. Sitting carefully on the animal, the fly pierces the skin with its proboscis and remains motionless for some time, and one can observe the filling of its intestines with blood. Wild animals and humans are not attacked by C., but domestic animals suffer from it, especially horses, cows, sheep, dogs, and pigs. Death after an injection of C. sometimes occurs very quickly; but, for the most part, after a few weeks or even months. Whether C.'s injections are always fatal has not been clarified with certainty. In contrast to the previous opinion about the toxicity of C., it is now known that C. does not have its own poison, but can only transfer poisonous principles from one animal to another when pricked. What kind of infection C. carries is unknown. Apparently, the poisonous principle carried by C. does not affect some domestic animals: goats in particular, and then donkeys and mules. Due to the spread of C. in some areas of central Africa, the inhabitants do not keep cows and horses at all, but only goats. In general, it must be said that the question of the role and significance of C. requires careful research. Wed Westwood, "Observations on the destruct. spec. of dipterous Insects etc." ("Proceed. Zool. Soc. London", vol. 18, 1850); Livingstone, "Die Tsetse-Fliege, die grosse Plage Süd-Afrikas" ("Petermann's Mittheilungen"); Bigot, "Dipt. nouveaux ou peu connus" ("Ann. Soc. Entomol. France", 6, vol. 5, 1885); Foa, "Observations zur la mouche Tsetse" ("Revue Sciences Natur, appliqu.", 42, 1895).

M.P.-K.

II (addition to the article)

M. R.-K.

encyclopedic Dictionary F. Brockhaus and I.A. Efron. - St. Petersburg: Brockhaus-Efron. 1890-1907 .

See what "Tsetse, fly" is in other dictionaries:

- (Glossina morsitans) a fly from the Muscidae family (see Flies), considered very poisonous in Africa. In a systematic sense, C. belongs to the Stomoxydae group, where the European fly (Stomoxys calcitrans) belongs, which also bites and ... ...

- (Glossina) fly from the Muscidae family. In addition to what is said in the article about C., we can cite the following data obtained for last years. Cattle disease spread by C. ( different kinds genus Glossina, especially Glossina morsitans) ... Encyclopedic Dictionary F.A. Brockhaus and I.A. Efron

- (fly) … Spelling Dictionary

Fly in the southern and middle. Africa, the size of a large housefly; its bite is fatal to horses, cattle, camels and dogs. Vocabulary foreign words included in the Russian language. Pavlenkov F., 1907. Tsetse poisonous fly of the Middle and ... ... Dictionary of foreign words of the Russian language

tsetse- tsetse / (fly), non-cl. well... merged. Apart. Through a hyphen.

FLY TSETSE- (Glossina palpalis), which lives in Central Africa, is considered a terrible enemy of local residents and domestic animals. With her sharp proboscis, she easily bites even the skin of animals and drinks blood. At the same time, it is distinguished by importunity and does not ... ... Insect life

- (tse tse), a genus of blood-sucking dipteran insects of the family. glossid. Length 9 14 mm. OK. 20 species, in the tropics and subtropics of Africa. A number of species are carriers of trypanosomes of pathogens of human sleeping sickness and revolvers (a disease of horses and kr. horn. cattle). Leading in… Natural science. encyclopedic Dictionary

Tsetse Scientific ... Wikipedia

Tsetse Scientific classification Kingdom: Animals Type: Arthropods Class ... Wikipedia

Books

• Encyclopedia of why in questions and answers, Dmitry Turovets. The older the young whys become, the more more questions they ask. Our encyclopedia was created especially for them. Who is the boss in the jungle? What can you see when looking at the glass ...

The article contains only up-to-date information about the tsetse fly and discusses the main problems that can be encountered when it appears.

Where does the tsetse fly live and on what continent, what diseases does it carry and spread, meaning in nature

The tsetse fly is an inhabitant of the tropical and subtropical zones of the African continent. Tsetse is a carrier of trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness), characterized by swelling lymph nodes on the neck of a person, swelling of the limbs, fever and drowsiness.

Strange, however, we have to admit that this small insect is able to influence the nature and economy of its habitat. Of the 37 countries where tsetse flies live, 32 are considered the poorest in the world, because for fear of contracting trypanosomiasis, people do not develop the land at their disposal and do not let it into agricultural circulation.

It is also interesting that some biologists tend to believe that we owe the appearance of such an animal as the zebra to the tsetse fly. Scientists argue that the black and white stripes that arose in this subgenus of horses were fixed during evolution as a disguise from the tsetse fly. Whether this is really so is difficult to say, but the fact that the fly does not touch the zebras is not disputed.

Tsetse fly in Africa and Russia and its danger to humans, what it eats and where it lives

The tsetse fly is found far from Russia - in Africa and Australia. Its main habitat is moist forests, fertile lands along rivers and other damp areas.

The food source for tsetse is the blood of mammals. Through it, trypanosomes enter the body of the fly, with which the insect infects the next victim through its salivary glands.

Thus, the tsetse fly becomes a carrier of a dangerous disease, often leading to lethal outcome, - trypanosomiasis or sleeping sickness. Fear of tsetse bites and trypanosome infections prevents local residents from developing the agricultural land at their disposal and nullifies the economies of most African countries.

Tsetse fly control methods and bite treatment

The tsetse fly has been fought for the past 150 years. They tried to destroy this insect by rather barbaric methods, for example, by exterminating all wild pigs, whose blood serves as the main food of the fly, and cutting down trees in the habitats of tsetse. But the most productive were the attempts adopted by modern scientists. They proposed to fight the tsetse fly with the help of the fly itself, or rather its males, using biological features kind.

So, it is known that the tsetse fly is viviparous and the fertilization of the female occurs only once in her entire life. Scientists have managed to breed millions of males of this insect in captivity, but before releasing them into the wild, they were all irradiated and sterilized. As a result, having mated with such a male, the female did not give any offspring, and, as mentioned above, the tsetse fly no longer attempts to further mating, the population of the species was significantly reduced.

Interesting Tsetse Facts:
- the proboscis of the tsetse fly is so strong that it can pierce the skin of an antelope, a buffalo and an elephant;
- female tsetse flies mate only once in a lifetime;
- the tsetse fly chooses to attack a moving and warm object, including a car;
- the only animal that tsetse does not encroach on is the zebra. Scientists say that the reason for this is the unusual color of the artiodactyl;
- tsetse is the only fly that can be classified as viviparous, since its larvae are immediately ready for pupation;
- The main food of the tsetse fly is the blood of mammals, it is she who makes tsetse a carrier of trypanosomiasis.

The article focuses on issues related to the encephalitic tick and helps to quickly find answers to frequently asked questions about it and the fight against it. ...

Sharks in Africa
Gorillas in Africa
In Africa, large
Angry crocodiles
They will bite you
Beat and offend -
Don't go kids
Walk in Africa.

So Korney Chukovsky wrote in his fairy tale, and for good reason.

Indeed, there are many dangerous ones. For example, one of the most dangerous insects world - tsetse fly. My post is dedicated to her.

What is this creature?

This nondescript creature is about the size of, the same gray and with transparent wings. It is found only on the African continent. It is not poisonous, but still causes the death of many thousands of people.

Dangerous bloodsucker

The point is that this carrier of pathogens of a very dangerous disease, they are called trypanosomes. These are microorganisms that, when bitten, penetrate into the blood of a person and affect all of his organs.

The disease caused by trypanosomes is called trypanosomiasis, or sleeping sickness; it is almost not treated, since microorganisms mutate very quickly, that is, they change. As soon as some medicine will work and kill some of the trypanosomes, the rest will change and this medicine will become useless.

Of course, scientists from all over the world help the people of Africa, they working on a drug from sleeping sickness. But for now good drugs still no.

Symptoms of the disease

The fact is that at first it is impossible to understand what a person is sick with. He just doesn't feel well. Then an ulcer appears at the site of the bite, tumors appear all over the body, the patient becomes very weak and falls asleep right on the go. Therefore, the disease is called sleepy. This condition sometimes lasts a whole year, but very often leads to death.

Appearance

Tsetse flies differ from ordinary proboscis, with which she bites people and animals to suck their blood. He is well-marked; the proboscis contains chitin, it is hard and slightly shiny.

These creatures unusually folded wings: they do not stick out on both sides of the back, as in ours, but, stacking one on top of the other, lie on the back of the insect.

reproduction

Tsetse flies are viviparous. They are lay the larva directly on the ground and fly away. And the larva burrows into the ground and turns into a chrysalis, from which an adult insect then emerges.

Who is being attacked by Tsetse?

These insects bite not only people, but also other animals: everyone who is warm and moving. Sometimes Tsetse try to bite the car. They don't just attack. Scientists think that insects are confused by the alternation of white and black stripes.

From Tsetse in some years affects up to half of all Africans. They have to abandon the best lands along the banks of the rivers, because these places are liked by insects.

Fight against danger

To destroy a dangerous bloodsucker, apply different methods. Bushes and forests are cut down, cattle are destroyed. But so far only one method has really helped.

Scientists in the lab have bred thousands of flies separated the males and exposed them to radiation, and then released. Now these males could not have offspring, and the larvae became much smaller. So it was possible to almost get rid of killer flies in Zanzibar.

If this message was useful to you, I would be glad to see you