Standardizing Visual Control Devices for Tsetse Flies: East African Species Glossina fuscipes fuscipes and Glossina tachinoides Francis Oloo 1 , Andrea Sciarretta 2 , Mohamed M. Mohamed-Ahmed 3{ , Thomas Kro ¨ ber 4 , Andrew McMullin 4 , Steve Mihok 5 , Patrick M. Guerin 4 * 1 Tsecon Consultants, Nairobi, Kenya, 2 Department of Agriculture, Environmental and Food Sciences, University of Molise, Campobasso, Italy, 3 College of Veterinary Medicine, Sudan University of Science and Technology, Khartoum-North, Sudan, 4 Institute of Biology, University of Neucha ˆtel, Neucha ˆtel, Switzerland, 5 Independent Scientist, Russell, Ontario, Canada Abstract Background: Riverine species of tsetse are responsible for most human African trypanosomiasis (HAT) transmission and are also important vectors of animal trypanosomiasis. This study concerns the development of visual control devices for two such species, Glossina fuscipes fuscipes and Glossina tachinoides, at the eastern limits of their continental range. The goal was to determine the most long-lasting, practical and cost-effective visually attractive device that induces the strongest landing responses in these species for use as insecticide-impregnated tools in vector population suppression. Methods and Findings: Field trials were conducted in different seasons on G. f. fuscipes in Kenya, Ethiopia and the Sudan and on G. tachinoides in Ethiopia to measure the performance of traps and 2D targets of different sizes and colours, with and without chemical baits, at different population densities and under different environmental conditions. Adhesive film was used to enumerate flies at these remote locations to compare trapping efficiencies. The findings show that targets made from black and blue fabrics (either phthalogen or turquoise) covered with adhesive film render them equal to or more efficient than traps at capturing G. f. fuscipes and G. tachinoides. Biconical trap efficiency varied between 25% and 33% for the two species. Smaller 0.25 m6 0.25 m phthalogen blue-black targets proved more efficient than the regular 1 m 2 target for both species, by over six times for Glossina f. fuscipes and two times for G. tachinoides based on catches per m 2 . Overall, targets with a higher edge/surface area ratio were more efficient at capturing flies. Conclusions/Significance: Taking into account practical considerations and fly preferences for edges and colours, we propose a 0.5 6 0.75 m blue-black target as a simple cost-effective device for management of G. f. fuscipes and G. tachinoides, impregnated with insecticide for control and covered with adhesive film for population sampling. Citation: Oloo F, Sciarretta A, Mohamed-Ahmed MM, Kro ¨ ber T, McMullin A, et al. (2014) Standardizing Visual Control Devices for Tsetse Flies: East African Species Glossina fuscipes fuscipes and Glossina tachinoides. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 8(11): e3334. doi:10.1371/journal.pntd.0003334 Editor: Philippe Solano, IRD/CIRDES, Burkina Faso Received June 14, 2014; Accepted October 12, 2014; Published November 20, 2014 Copyright: ß 2014 Oloo et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Data Availability: The authors confirm that all data underlying the findings are fully available without restriction. All relevant data are presented within the paper. Funding: This work received financial support from the UNICEF/UNDP/World Bank/WHO Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases under the initiative ‘‘Innovative Vector Control Interventions’’ (project number A70594) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA, research contract number 16983). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. Competing Interests: I have read the journal’s policy and the authors of this manuscript have the following competing interests: The senior author of the manuscript, FO, is the sole owner and operator of Tsecon Consultants, Nairobi. This does not alter our adherence to all PLOS NTDs policies on sharing data and materials. * Email: Patrick.Guerin@unine.ch { Deceased. Introduction Among tsetse flies (Diptera, Glossinidae) the palpalis group is responsible for most human African trypanosomiasis (HAT) transmission; with 90% of new sleeping sickness cases being transmitted by species from this group [1]. This study concerns the development of visual control devices for two of these species, Glossina fuscipes fuscipes (G. f. fuscipes Newstead 1910) and Glossina tachinoides (G. tachinoides Westwood 1850). G. f. fuscipes is found in Central Africa in the Cameroon, Gabon, the Republic of the Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the Central African Republic, Chad, Sudan and South Sudan, extending east to the northern shores of Lake Victoria in Uganda and western Kenya. Isolated populations also occur in Tanzania, Sudan and Ethiopia. G. tachinoides is distributed across West Africa in a zone stretching from Guinea eastwards through northern Nigeria, Niger and southern Chad to the Central African Republic. Isolated populations also occur in the Sudan, South Sudan and Ethiopia (Figure 1 [2]). Both species are found naturally in riverine and lacustrine habitats. They are vectors of the acute form of HAT caused by Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense (Kinetoplastida, Trypanosomat- PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases | www.plosntds.org 1 November 2014 | Volume 8 | Issue 11 | e3334