Managing African animal trypanosomiasis in Benin: Knowledge, attitudes, and practices of cattle owners in the West Atacora zone

Vet World Vol.18 June-2025 Article - 10

Research Article

Veterinary World, 18(6): 1508-1516

https://doi.org/10.14202/vetworld.2025.1508-1516

Yao Akpo¹

, Aretas B. N. Tonouhewa²

, Traore Alkoiret¹

, and Marc T. Kpodekon²

1. Laboratory of Animal Ecology, Health and Production (LESPA), University of Parakou, Parakou, Bénin.

2. Research Unit on Communicable Diseases (URMAT), Polytechnic School of Abomey-Calavi, University of Abomey-Calavi, Abomey-Calavi, Bénin.

Background and Aim: African animal trypanosomiasis (AAT), transmitted by tsetse flies, severely constrains livestock productivity in sub-Saharan Africa. In Benin, limited governmental control initiatives and widespread drug misuse have raised concerns about emerging trypanocidal resistance. This study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of cattle farmers in the Atacora and Donga departments of northern Benin and identify behaviors contributing to the persistence and drug resistance of AAT.

Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted from September to December 2024 among 201 cattle farmers selected through stratified random sampling across five districts. Data were collected using a semi-structured, pre-tested questionnaire and analyzed with R software employing descriptive statistics and comparative tests (χ2, Mann–Whitney U, and Kruskal–Wallis).

Results: Awareness of tsetse flies and their role in AAT transmission was high (84%), but only 24% recognized insecticide-based vector control as an effective method. The predominant control strategy involved trypanocides – mainly diminazene aceturate (81%) and isometamidium chloride (71%) – with 99% of participants administering these drugs. Notably, 42% sourced trypanocides from illicit markets, and 22% practiced self-medication. Most farmers (56%) treated their cattle twice yearly, yet 65% failed to observe withdrawal periods, and 59% reported therapeutic failures. Only 12% had received formal training in AAT management.

Conclusion: Despite high disease awareness, poor adherence to recommended control practices and the prevalent misuse of trypanocides, particularly through informal markets, pose serious threats to sustainable AAT management. There is an urgent need for integrated risk communication and policy-driven interventions promoting responsible drug use and vector control in northern Benin.

Keywords: African animal trypanosomiasis, Benin, cattle farmers, knowledge-attitudes-practices, trypanocide resistance, tsetse fly control.

How to cite this article: Akpo Y, Tonouhewa ABN, Alkoiret T, and Kpodekon MT (2025) Managing African animal trypanosomiasis in Benin: Knowledge, attitudes, and practices of cattle owners in the West Atacora zone, Veterinary World, 18(6): 1508–1516.

Received: 09-02-2025 Accepted: 14-05-2025 Published online: 15-06-2025

Corresponding author: Aretas B. N. Tonouhewa E-mail: tonouhewaaretas@gmail.com

DOI: 10.14202/vetworld.2025.1508-1516

Copyright: Akpo, et al. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http:// creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.