A systematic review of the prevalence and diagnostic methods of African trypanosomiasis in Nigeria: Implications for public health and agriculture

African trypanosomiasis (AT) has continued to be a major public health and veterinary concern in Nigeria due to its effects on both human and animal populations. As a result, this study aimed to systematically review and determine the prevalence of AT in Nigeria, analyse the diagnostic techniques used, and investigate the relationship between the human and animal forms of the disease. The goal of the study is to present a thorough analysis of the current situation of AT in Nigeria, exposing the consequences for both agricultural productivity and public health. To do this, the study followed the PRISMA guidelines to carry out a thorough search of MEDLINE, CINAHL, and EMBASE databases. The review included studies published in English that reported prevalence data on AT in Nigeria. A total of 18,091 samples from 16 studies with sample sizes ranging from 19 to 7,143 were included. The Joanna Briggs Institute’s critical appraisal checklist for cross-sectional studies was used to evaluate each study’s methodological quality. The findings revealed a prevalence of 27.3% for African animal trypanosomiasis and 3.6% for human African trypanosomiasis in Nigeria. Based on the diagnostic techniques employed, the review found significant differences in prevalence rates, with polymerase chain reaction showing higher sensitivity than microscopy. <i>Trypanosoma vivax, T. congolense, T. brucei, T. simiae, T. evansi, T. theileri, and T. brucei gambiense</i> were found to be the most frequent species, and the study concluded that in order to address the problems caused by AT in Nigeria, there is an urgent need for better diagnostic procedures and all-encompassing disease management plans.