Trypanosomosis is a debilitating disease affecting mainly livestock and humans in tropical Africa. Chemically synthesized drugs and medicinal plants have been used in the treatment and control of this disease. In this study, the in vitro effect of aqueous extracts and fraction IV extract of Ximenia americana stem bark on Trypanosoma congolense DNA was investigated. The extracts were incubated with the parasites in vitro at 300？mg/mL aqueous extract and 25？mg/mL fraction IV portion for 30, 60, and 120 mins. The DNA of the trypanosomes was isolated and digested using ECOR1 enzyme and subsequently PCR was carried out. Results showed that aqueous extract and fraction IV portion immobilized 55% and 90% of the trypanosomes after 30-minute incubation. Subsequent isolation of the parasite DNA and agarose gel electrophoresis did not reveal that cell death was as a result of DNA fragmentation. This suggests that cell death was by another mechanism of action. 1. Introduction African animal trypanosomiasis (AAT) is caused by Trypanosoma congolense, Trypanosoma vivax, and Trypanosoma brucei. Trypanosomiasis is a debilitating disease of man and domestic and wild animals which is often characterized by anemia, reduced productivity, and high mortality [1–3]. It is a major constraint to the development of livestock in Sub-Saharan Africa [2, 4]. The chemotherapy of African trypanosomes is beset with several problems; these include limited repertoire of trypanocides, resistance to drugs, and toxicity to a protracted treatment protocol [5–7]. Decades of attempts to create a vaccine against trypanosomes have failed due to the development of variable surface glycoprotein, a defense mechanism against the immune system [8]. Economic considerations of the pharmaceutical industry outweigh all others, because of the very low return of the developmental costs. These factors emphasize the need for research into better and cheaper and eco-friendly trypanocides. Plants are an important part of the culture and traditions of Africa as most rural communities in African are highly reliant on medicinal plants for their health care needs; this is due to the accessibility and affordability of these plants [9]. The search for new drugs from natural sources is a widely used approach that has been successful in the detection of compounds for the treatment of some parasitic diseases [10, 11]. Extracts as well as pure compounds obtained from plants have been reported to possess significant antiprotozoan activities with no side effects [12, 13]. Ximenia americana is a plant used in traditional
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