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Veterinary World Sep 2020Anaplasmosis and babesiosis are tick-borne diseases that threaten livestock production with subsequent considerable economic losses. This study was conducted to diagnose...
BACKGROUND AND AIM
Anaplasmosis and babesiosis are tick-borne diseases that threaten livestock production with subsequent considerable economic losses. This study was conducted to diagnose and infection using molecular techniques in imported Aberdeen Angus cattle imported from Uruguay to El-Kharga Oasis in New Valley, Egypt, and to investigate the effects of disease on some serum biochemical and oxidative stress parameters.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Blood samples were collected from 31 cattle, 21 diseased and ten apparently normal, of varying ages and sex. The blood was used for the preparation of blood smears, polymerase chain reaction assay, and separation of serum for biochemical investigation. The experimental production farm at the Faculty of Agriculture, New Valley University, was infested with ticks and variable clinical manifestations during the period from December 2017 to March 2018. One calf died of a suspected blood parasite infection.
RESULTS
The blood film examination revealed infection by blood parasites in 21 samples. and were identified in 12 and 14 samples, respectively. A total of 14 samples were examined by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to make these identifications. Biochemical parameters showed significantly elevated serum alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, total bilirubin (T. Bil), and urea in blood from parasite-infected female cattle and male calves compared with controls. Increased serum total protein, globulin, and creatinine were recorded only in infected female cattle. The blood glucose level was significantly decreased in infected female cattle and male calves compared with controls. Furthermore, albumin and albumin/globulin ratio was significantly reduced in the infected female cattle. Oxidative stress profiles of infected animals showed a significant increase in serum nitric oxide and malondialdehyde, and both total antioxidant capacity and reduced glutathione (GSH) were significantly reduced in comparison with control animals.
CONCLUSION
The incidence of and infection is high in imported Aberdeen Angus cattle in New Valley Province. PCR methods provide a short-term assessment of disease. An extensive epidemiological survey, employing serology together with molecular genetic methods, monitoring of abundance and distribution of tick vectors, availability of vaccination programs, and tracking of animal transport is also needed for control of blood parasites.
PubMed: 33132601
DOI: 10.14202/vetworld.2020.1884-1891 -
Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases Jul 2021Babesiosis, theileriosis, anaplasmosis, and heartwater are tick-borne diseases that threaten livestock production in sub-Saharan Africa including Burkina Faso and Benin....
Cattle ticks and associated tick-borne pathogens in Burkina Faso and Benin: Apparent northern spread of Rhipicephalus microplus in Benin and first evidence of Theileria velifera and Theileria annulata.
Babesiosis, theileriosis, anaplasmosis, and heartwater are tick-borne diseases that threaten livestock production in sub-Saharan Africa including Burkina Faso and Benin. For over a decade, these two bordering countries have been facing an invasion of the livestock by the tick Rhipicephalus microplus, a major vector for babesiosis, accidentally introduced in Benin in 2004. The molecular identification of tick-borne pathogens in this border area is of particular interest due to animals seasonal migration between the two countries. In this survey, epidemiological features of ticks and tick-borne pathogens in cattle were investigated to compare the eastern Burkina Faso, corresponding to a seasonal migration departure zone, and the northern Benin, which represents a seasonal migration arrival zone. Ticks and peripheral blood were collected from a total of 946 cattle in the two areas. Ticks were morphologically identified and the DNA samples from bovine blood and ticks were analysed by Reverse Line Blot (RLB) hybridization process. A total of 2856 ticks were collected on 490 cattle in Burkina Faso, eight tick species were identified, while 3583 ticks were collected on 456 cattle in North Benin with nine tick species identified. The invasive tick, R. microplus was not found in eastern Burkina Faso, but its spread farthest north in Benin is reported. Six tick-borne pathogen species were found in cattle blood both in eastern Burkina Faso and in northern Benin. Ranked in decreasing order of overall prevalences, they are: Theileria mutans (91.1%), Theileria velifera (77.8%), Babesia bigemina (10.9%), Anaplasma marginale (4.2%), Babesia bovis (3.3%), and Theileria annulata (1.8%). To the best of our knowledge, this survey represents the first report of T. velifera and T. annulata in the region. Overall, the TBP prevalences were significantly higher in northern Benin than in eastern Burkina Faso, indicating a higher parasitological risk in this area.
Topics: Anaplasma; Anaplasmosis; Animal Distribution; Animal Husbandry; Animals; Babesia; Babesiosis; Benin; Burkina Faso; Cattle; Cattle Diseases; Rhipicephalus; Theileria; Theileriasis; Tick-Borne Diseases
PubMed: 33975003
DOI: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2021.101733 -
Animals : An Open Access Journal From... Oct 2022Anaplasma genus infects the blood cells of humans and animals by biting, causing zoonotic anaplasmosis. However, limited data are available on carrier animals for...
Anaplasma genus infects the blood cells of humans and animals by biting, causing zoonotic anaplasmosis. However, limited data are available on carrier animals for Anaplasma spp. antibodies in the Qinghai−Tibetan Plateau Area. Therefore, a serological indirect ELISA diagnostic method based on the major surface protein 5 (MSP5), derived from Anaplasma phagocytophilum, was developed in this study to analyze both IgG and IgM antibodies of Anaplasma spp. in a total of 3952 animals from the Qinghai−Tibetan Plateau, including yaks (Bos grunniens), cows (Bos taurus), cattle (Bos taurus domesticus), Tibetan sheep (Ovis aries), horses (Equus ferus caballus), pigs (Sus domesticus), chickens (Gallus gallus domesticus), donkeys (Equus asinus), stray dogs (Canis sp.), and stray cats (Felis sp.). The results showed that recombinant MSP5 protein was expressed and was successfully used to establish the indirect ELISA methods. The overall positivity for Anaplasma IgG and IgM antibodies was 14.6% (578/3952) and 7.9% (312/3952), respectively, and a total of 123 animals (3.1%) were both IgG- and IgM-positive. Moreover, the most prevalent Anaplasma IgG positivity was exhibited by donkeys (82.5%), followed by stray dogs, Tibetan sheep, pigs, chickens, horses, yaks, cows, cattle, and stray cats. The analysis for IgM antibody positivity revealed that IgM positivity was the most prevalent in the stray dogs (30.1%), followed by horses, yaks, Tibetan sheep, cows, stray cats, and cattle. Moreover, the results revealed significant differences (p < 0.05) at different altitudes in Anaplasma-specific IgG in the yaks, Tibetan sheep, and horses, and in IgM in the yaks and Tibetan sheep. In conclusion, this study is the first to demonstrate that yaks, cows, cattle, Tibetan sheep, horses, donkeys, stray dogs, stray cats, pigs, and chickens living in the Qinghai−Tibet Plateau are carrier animals for Anaplasma spp. IgG or IgM antibodies. The current findings provide valuable current data on the seroepidemiology of anaplasmosis in China and for plateau areas of the world.
PubMed: 36230463
DOI: 10.3390/ani12192723 -
Parasitology Dec 2020Weather conditions can impact infectious disease transmission, causing mortalities in humans, wild and domestic animals. Although rainfall in dry tropical regions is...
Weather conditions can impact infectious disease transmission, causing mortalities in humans, wild and domestic animals. Although rainfall in dry tropical regions is highly variable over the year, rainfall is thought to play an important role in the transmission of tick-borne diseases. Whether variation in rainfall affects disease-induced mortalities, is, however, poorly understood. Here, we use long-term data on monthly rainfall and Boran cattle mortality (1998-2017) to investigate associations between within-year variation in rainfall and cattle mortalities due to East Coast fever (ECF), anaplasmosis and babesiosis in Laikipia, Kenya, using ARIMAX modelling. Results show a negative correlation between monthly rainfall and cattle mortality for ECF and anaplasmosis, with a lag effect of 2 and 6 months, respectively. There was no association between babesiosis-induced mortalities and monthly rainfall. The results of this study suggest that control of the tick-borne diseases ECF and anaplasmosis to reduce mortalities should be intensified during rainy periods after the respective estimated time lags following dry periods.
Topics: Anaplasmosis; Animals; Babesiosis; Cattle; Cattle Diseases; Kenya; Rain; Seasons; Theileriasis
PubMed: 32907657
DOI: 10.1017/S0031182020001638 -
Microorganisms Dec 2021Anaplasmosis is an economically-significant, hemolytic, tick-borne disease of cattle caused by which can cause clinical anemia and death. Current control options are...
Anaplasmosis is an economically-significant, hemolytic, tick-borne disease of cattle caused by which can cause clinical anemia and death. Current control options are limited, and FDA-approved antimicrobial control options do not have a defined duration of use. A practical and routinely used anaplasmosis control method involves feeding free-choice chlortetracycline (CTC)-medicated mineral to pastured cattle for several months. Constant antimicrobial use poses the risk of expediting the development and dissemination of antimicrobial resistance in off-target commensal bacteria in the bovine gastrointestinal tract. The objective of this study was to determine the CTC-susceptibility of isolated from anaplasmosis endemic beef cattle herds provided different FDA-approved free-choice CTC-medicated mineral formulations, all intended to provide cattle a dosage of 0.5 to 2.0 mg CTC/lb bodyweight per day. A closed-herd, comprised of Hereford-Angus cows, naturally endemic for anaplasmosis, were grazed in five different pastures with one herd serving as an untreated control group. The other cattle herds were randomly assigned one of four FDA-approved CTC-medicated mineral formulations (700, 5000, 6000, and 8000 g CTC/ton) labeled for "the control of active anaplasmosis" and provided their respective CTC-medicated mineral formulation for five consecutive months. Fecal samples were collected monthly from a subset of cows ( = 6 or 10) per pasture. Fecal samples were cultured for isolates and the minimal inhibitory concentration of CTC was determined. Baseline CTC-susceptibility of was variable among all treatment and control groups. The susceptibility of isolates was significantly different between study herds over the treatment period ( = 0.0037 across time and 0.009 at the final sampling time). The interaction between study herds and treatment period was not significant ( = 0.075).
PubMed: 34946097
DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms9122495 -
Veterinary Medicine and Science Nov 2020The study was conducted during tick activity season over a period of 5 years in the Djurdjura Plains, Algeria. A total of 299 cattle (Holstein, Montbeliard, Fleckvieh...
The study was conducted during tick activity season over a period of 5 years in the Djurdjura Plains, Algeria. A total of 299 cattle (Holstein, Montbeliard, Fleckvieh and crossbred animals) with clinical signs were included in this study. A total of 171 animals were found positive for at least one pathogen by Giemsa-stained blood smears examination Theileria annulata (136/299, 45.5%), Babesia bovis (14/299, 4.7%), B. bigemina (3/299, 1.0%) and Anaplasma marginale (12/299, 4.0%) were identified. Six animals were co-infected by T. annulata and A. marginale. Although no ticks were collected from diseased animals, clinical signs in cattle were hyperthermia (120/136, 88.3%), gluttony followed by anorexia (113/136, 83.1%), lymph node enlargement (99/136, 72.8%), anaemia (82/136, 60.3%), icterus (58/136, 42.6%) and haemoglobinuria (36/136, 26.5%). Gluttony followed by anorexia was considered highly suggestive of an incubation of tropical theileriosis as shown by a higher receptivity index (IR = 0.89-1). This clinical sign is evident in young Montbeliard and young Holstein males with anaemia (IR = 1) and icterus (IR = 0.78-0.81) which is earlier than haemoglobinuria (IR = 0.51-0.54). The incidence of T. annulata was maximum in July (n = 57), as well as B. bovis (n = 6) and A. marginale (n = 13). These results highlight the preponderance of tropical theileriosis in north-central Algeria, where gluttony followed by anorexia is probably a prodromal symptom during the incubation period of the disease.
Topics: Algeria; Anaplasmosis; Animals; Babesiosis; Cattle; Cattle Diseases; Female; Incidence; Male; Theileriasis
PubMed: 32558239
DOI: 10.1002/vms3.305 -
Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland) Aug 2023() is the aetiological agent of tick-borne fever in cattle and sheep, and granulocytic anaplasmosis in human and dogs. Livestock, companion animal and human infections...
() is the aetiological agent of tick-borne fever in cattle and sheep, and granulocytic anaplasmosis in human and dogs. Livestock, companion animal and human infections with have been reported globally. Across England and Wales, two isolates (called ecotypes) have been reported in ticks. This study examined isolates present in livestock and wildlife in Great Britain (GB), with a particular focus on cattle. Clinical submissions (EDTA blood) from cattle ( = 21) and sheep ( = 3) were received by APHA for tick-borne disease testing and the animals were confirmed to be infected with using a PCR targeting the 2 gene. Further submissions from roe deer ( = 2), red deer ( = 2) and ticks ( = 22) were also shown to be infected with . Subsequent analysis using a nested PCR targeting the gene and sequencing confirmed the presence of ecotype I in cattle, sheep, red deer and , and ecotype II in roe deer and removed from deer carcasses. Despite the presence of two ecotypes, widely distributed in ticks from England and Wales, only ecotype I was detected in cattle in this study.
PubMed: 37623989
DOI: 10.3390/pathogens12081029 -
Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland) Oct 2022Bovine anaplasmosis is a tick-borne disease caused by an obligate intercellular Gram-negative bacterium named () In this study, we report the seasonal prevalence,...
Bovine anaplasmosis is a tick-borne disease caused by an obligate intercellular Gram-negative bacterium named () In this study, we report the seasonal prevalence, potentially associated risk factors and phylogeny of in cattle of three different breeds from Multan District, Southern Punjab, Pakistan. A total of 1020 blood samples (crossbred, n = 340; Holstein Friesian, n = 340; and Sahiwal breed, n = 340) from apparently healthy cattle were collected on a seasonal basis from March 2020 to April 2021. Based on PCR amplification of the partial sequence, overall, the prevalence rate was estimated at 11.1% (113/1020) of the analyzed cattle samples. According to seasons, the highest prevalence rate was observed in autumn (16.5%), followed by winter (10.6%) and summer (9.8%), and the lowest was recorded in the spring (7.5%). The crossbred and Sahiwal cattle were the most susceptible to infection, followed by Holstein Friesian cattle (7.9%). Analysis of epidemiological factors revealed that cattle reared on farms where dairy animals have tick loads, dogs coinhabit with cattle and dogs have tick loads have a higher risk of being infected with . In addition, it was observed that white blood cell, lymphocyte (%), monocyte (%), hematocrit, mean corpuscular hemoglobin and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentrations were significantly disturbed in -positive cattle compared with non-infested cattle. Genetic analysis of nucleotide sequences and a phylogenetic study based on partial sequencing demonstrated that this gene appears to be highly conserved among our isolates and those infecting apparently healthy cattle from geographically diverse worldwide regions. The presented data are crucial for estimating the risk of bovine anaplasmosis in order to develop integrated control policies against bovine anaplasmosis and other tick-borne diseases infecting cattle in the country.
PubMed: 36365012
DOI: 10.3390/pathogens11111261 -
Revista Brasileira de Parasitologia... 2023The present work reviews the epidemiologic situation of Anaplasma marginale and Babesia spp. infections and the occurrence of cattle tick fever outbreaks in Brazil. In...
The present work reviews the epidemiologic situation of Anaplasma marginale and Babesia spp. infections and the occurrence of cattle tick fever outbreaks in Brazil. In areas of tick fever enzootic instability, environmental conditions interfere with the development of Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus: chilly winter in the southern region, floods in the Pantanal, and low humidity in the Caatinga. In contrast, the climatic conditions of stable zones (Cerrado, Amazon and Atlantic Forest biomes) favor tick development. In enzootic areas, tick fever is uncommon because the animals are in frequent contact with the parasite, acquiring immunity naturally during the period of innate resistance; however, outbreaks may occur when calves become infested by considerable numbers of infected ticks during this period or in adults raised in tick-free environments that become infested for the first time when transporting to stable areas. It is necessary to better understand the disease's risk factors under stable conditions and the implications of the mechanical and other vector transmission of A. marginale. To prevent tick fever outbreaks in Brazil, it is important to develop and use anaplasmosis and babesiosis vaccines in cattle from enzootic unstable regions, especially when animals are moved to stable areas.
Topics: Animals; Cattle; Brazil; Babesiosis; Rhipicephalus; Anaplasma marginale; Anaplasmosis; Cattle Diseases
PubMed: 36722682
DOI: 10.1590/S1984-29612023007 -
Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland) Sep 2022ticks are vectors for multiple pathogens infecting animals and humans. Although the medical importance of has been well-recognized and studied in most areas of China,...
ticks are vectors for multiple pathogens infecting animals and humans. Although the medical importance of has been well-recognized and studied in most areas of China, the occurrence of tick-borne Rickettsiales has seldom been investigated in Guizhou Province, Southwest China. In this study, we collected 276 ticks from cattle (209 ticks) and goats (67 ticks) in three locations of Guizhou Province. The , , and were detected by targeting the 16S rRNA gene and were further characterized by amplifying the key genes. One ( Rickettsia jingxinensis), three (, , sp.), and four (, , , Ca. Anaplasma boleense) species were detected, and their and genes were recovered. Rickettsia jingxinensis, a spotted fever group of , was detected in a high proportion of the tested ticks (88.89%, 100%, and 100% in ticks from the three locations, respectively), suggesting the possibility that animals may be exposed to this type of . All the 16S, , , and sequences of these strains are 100% identical to strains reported in Ngawa, Sichuan Province. , , and Anaplasma boleense are known to infect livestock such as cattle. The potential effects on local husbandry should be considered. Notably, , , and have been reported to infect humans. The relatively high positive rates in Qianxinan (20.99%, 9.88%, and 4.94%, respectively) may indicate the potential risk to local populations. Furthermore, the genetic analysis indicated that the strains in this study may represent a variant or recombinant. Our results indicated the extensive diversity of Rickettsiales in ticks from Guizhou Province. The possible occurrence of rickettsiosis, ehrlichiosis, and anaplasmosis in humans and domestic animals in this area should be further considered and investigated.
PubMed: 36297165
DOI: 10.3390/pathogens11101108