Bloodfed female Savannah Tsetse fly (Glossina morsitans morsitans) exhibiting pre-diuresis.

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Tsetse flies are responsible for transmitting African Sleeping Sickness and Nagana to humans and cattle respectively. Both diseases are caused by Trypanosoma brucei, a single-celled protozoan parasite and are usually fatal if left untreated. After a bloodmeal the tsetse fly rapidly excretes excess water from the blood to reduce the meal's volume and weight.

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Size: 5500px × 3667px
Location: Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, England, UK
Photo credit: © Ray Wilson / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: african, blood, blood-fed, bloodfed, diptera, dipteran, excretion, fed, female, fly, glossina, glossinidae, haematophagous, insect, morsitans, nagana, pre-diuresis, savannah, sickness, sleeping, trypanosomiasis, tse-tse, tsetse