-
Veterinary Parasitology, Regional... Jul 2022Tick-borne diseases including East Coast fever, anaplasmosis and babesiosis constitute a major constraint to improving livestock production worldwide, including...
Tick-borne diseases including East Coast fever, anaplasmosis and babesiosis constitute a major constraint to improving livestock production worldwide, including Tanzania. Determination of the prevalence and factors associated with the occurrence of pathogens in cattle is important for informed decision making on the control and prevention of these diseases. However, little is known about the epidemiology of these pathogens in cattle in some regions of Tanzania. Therefore, this study aimed at establishing the prevalence of Anaplasma marginale, Babesia bigemina, Babesia bovis and Theileria parva in cattle, determine the risk factors associated with infection with these pathogens and also to assess tick control practices in Gairo and Monduli districts of Tanzania. Out of the 520 cattle sampled, the majority (82.9%) were infested with ticks of different species, predominated by Rhipicephalus decoloratus (42.7%), Amblyomma variegatum (31.3%), Rhipicephalus pulchellus (23.1%) and Rhipicephalus appendiculatus (17.7%). Other ticks that were found on cattle included Rhipicephalus microplus (15.8%), Amblyomma gema (13.8%), Rhipicephalus evertsi (12.9%), Amblyomma lepidum (8.1%), Hyalomma truncatum (2.9%) and Hyalomma albiparmatum (2.1%). On microscopy 23 (4.4%) of 520 cattle were positive for hemoparasites. Of the 23 positive cattle, 13 (2.5%), 6 (1.2%) and 3 (0.6%) were monolithically infected with A. marginale, T. parva, and B. bovis respectively, while one (0.2% %) had co-infections of T. parva and A. marginale. The number of positive cattle increased to 184 (35.4%), when they were subjected to detection with PCR. This included the 23 samples that were positive on microscopy. Based on PCR, the overall prevalence of the pathogens from the two districts was 11.5%, 11.2%, 6.2% and 2.5% for B. bigemina, A. marginale, T. parva and B. bovis, respectively. Hemoparasite co-infection occurred in 6.9% of the cattle examined. The prevalence of co-infections was 2.7%, 4%, and 0.02% for T. parva/A. marginale, B. bigemina/A. marginale and B. bigemina/A. marginale/T. parva, respectively. Cattle with co-infections had significantly lower (p < 0.005) mean packed cell volume as compared to cattle with mono-infections. The majority (96%) of cattle examined were subjected to different methods of tick control. A number of risk factors were shown to be associated with the occurrence of tick-borne pathogens in cattle. Higher prevalence of A. marginale may be due to its wide range of biological and mechanical transmission. These findings could be used to strengthen future control programs for ticks and tick-borne diseases in the study areas.
Topics: Agriculture; Animals; Cattle; Cattle Diseases; Coinfection; Rhipicephalus; Tanzania; Tick Control; Tick-Borne Diseases
PubMed: 35725102
DOI: 10.1016/j.vprsr.2022.100738 -
Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland) Nov 2021Ticks are hematophagous ectoparasites that infest a diverse number of vertebrate hosts. The tick immunobiology plays a significant role in establishing and transmitting... (Review)
Review
Ticks are hematophagous ectoparasites that infest a diverse number of vertebrate hosts. The tick immunobiology plays a significant role in establishing and transmitting many pathogens to their hosts. To control tick infestations, the acaricide application is a commonly used method with severe environmental consequences and the selection of tick-resistant populations. With these drawbacks, new tick control methods need to be developed, and the immune system of ticks contains a plethora of potential candidates for vaccine design. Additionally, tick immunity is based on an orchestrated action of humoral and cellular immune responses. Therefore, the actors of these responses are the object of our study in this review since they are new targets in anti-tick vaccine design. We present their role in the immune response that positions them as feasible targets that can be blocked, inhibited, interfered with, and overexpressed, and then elucidate a new method to control tick infestations through the development of vaccines. We also propose Extracellular Traps Formation (ETosis) in ticks as a process to eliminate their natural enemies and those pathogens they transmit (vectorial capacity), which results attractive since they are a source of acting molecules with potential use as vaccines.
PubMed: 34832666
DOI: 10.3390/pathogens10111511 -
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 -
Iranian Journal of Veterinary Research 2022Information on the prevalence of infectious agents in dairy farms forms the basis for formulating a suitable control strategy; especially in endemic situations.
BACKGROUND
Information on the prevalence of infectious agents in dairy farms forms the basis for formulating a suitable control strategy; especially in endemic situations.
AIMS
A cross-sectional study was undertaken to determine the prevalence of six economically important bovine diseases, causing reproductive disorders including bovine abortion in organized dairy herds in India.
METHODS
A total of 1,075 animals (cattle and buffaloes) from 09 dairy farms were screened by ELISA tests.
RESULTS
Bovine viral diarrhoea (BVD) was the most prevalent (56.5%) disease followed by infectious bovine rhinotracheitis (IBR) (45.4%). Prevalence of Q-fever (5.4%) and neosporosis (6.1%) were less on the farms. Although 16.3% of the samples turned positive for brucellosis, the contribution of calf-hood vaccination ( S19 vaccine) to the prevalence of antibodies cannot be ruled out. The overall prevalence of bovine anaplasmosis, known to cause sporadic abortions in dairy herds, was 34.1% in the 9 farms with a prevalence of less than 20% in 5 farms. Infection of multiple abortifacient (seroprevalence to more than two pathogens) was recorded in 56.8% of animals. A very strong association was observed between BVD and brucellosis (Odds ratio 14.2; P<0.001). Further, a positive association was also seen between seroprevalence of IBR and anaplasmosis, and neosporosis and Q fever (P<0.05).
CONCLUSION
Viral diseases were found to be more common in the dairy herds than bacterial and protozoan diseases. Increased susceptibility of IBR seropositive cows to other bacterial and viral infections was observed.
PubMed: 36425611
DOI: 10.22099/IJVR.2022.42574.6184 -
Scientific Reports Dec 2022Anaplasma marginale is transmitted biologically by infected ticks or mechanically by biting flies and contaminated fomites. In tick-free areas, such as southern Uruguay,...
Anaplasma marginale is transmitted biologically by infected ticks or mechanically by biting flies and contaminated fomites. In tick-free areas, such as southern Uruguay, horseflies could be the principal vectors of this pathogen for bovines, causing anaplasmosis. The objective of this work was to detect the presence of A. marginale by MSP-5 PCR and Sanger sequencing in the most prevalent species of horseflies obtained using different collection methods in Colonia, Tacuarembó and Paysandú, Uruguay. Eight horsefly species were tested (Dasybasis missionum, Poeciloderas lindneri, Tabanus campestris, T. claripennis, T. fuscofasciatus, T. platensis, T. tacuaremboensis and T. triangulum); four species were found to be positive for A. marginale, with D. missionum and P. lindneri having the most frequent infections, while only one individual each of T. fuscofasciatus and T. tacuaremboensis was positive. Both D. missionum and P. lindneri were positive for A. marginale in tick-free areas, and the implications are discussed in this report.
Topics: Animals; Cattle; Anaplasma marginale; Diptera; Rickettsiales; Anaplasmataceae; Uruguay; Ticks; Cattle Diseases
PubMed: 36577829
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-27067-0 -
Heliyon Mar 2021Species of , , and are Tick-borne pathogens (TBPs) that are prevalent throughout the world, particularly in the tropical and subtropical regions. Associated diseases of...
Species of , , and are Tick-borne pathogens (TBPs) that are prevalent throughout the world, particularly in the tropical and subtropical regions. Associated diseases of , and , respectively, represents a major threat to livestock production in many countries. TBPs have a high prevalence in different geographical locations in Egypt. Foot and mouth disease (FMD) and Lumpy skin disease (LSD) are considered endemic bovine viral diseases in Egypt. Our clinical observations during the epidemics of LSD and FMD viruses showed higher prevalence rates for the TBPs. To investigate this correlation, a total of 670 samples from cattle and buffalo were collected during the summers of 2017 and 2018 distributed throughout ranches and smallholders in two geographical locations in Egypt. Two farms with a recent clinical outbreak of LSD with a total of 270 animals, while the other location included three farms with a recent FMD outbreak with a combined 400 cattle. Examined animals were classified mainly according to age, gender, species, breed (native versus crossbred), and the presence of ticks. Whole blood samples were collected for TBPs and viral (LSD and FMD) examinations, while tissue specimens were collected for detection of FMD and LSD viruses by real-time PCR. Our results confirmed significantly higher prevalence rates for the TBPs in LSD-positive than LSD-negative animals, while no significant difference could be detected for the prevalence rate of the TBPs in the FMD positive and negative groups. The prevalence of and was significantly (P < 0.05) higher in cross-breeds than native cattle. Infections with and co-infections with - and - were significantly higher in native than cross-breeds cattle. The intensity of parasitic infection (parasitemia) has a significant difference in the positive groups for the two viruses compared to the negative groups. These results collectively confirming the enhancing role of LSD on the prevalence rate of the haemoprotozoal infections leading to more serious outcomes to the livestock infections, and therefore the control of haemoprotozoal infections should be implemented as a part of viral epidemics control.
PubMed: 33768176
DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e06479 -
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 -
Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland) Aug 2022The One Health approach looks after animal welfare and demands constant monitoring of the strains that circulate globally to prevent outbreaks. Anaplasma marginale is...
The One Health approach looks after animal welfare and demands constant monitoring of the strains that circulate globally to prevent outbreaks. Anaplasma marginale is the etiologic agent of bovine anaplasmosis and is endemic worldwide. This study aimed to analyze, for the first time, the genetic diversity of seven Mexican strains of and their relationship with other strains reported. The main features of were obtained by characterizing all 24 genomes reported so far. Genetic diversity and phylogeography were analyzed by characterizing the gene and 5'-UTR microsatellite sequences and constructing a phylogenetic tree with 540 concatenated genes of the core genome. The Mexican strains show 15 different repeat sequences in six MSP1a structures and have phylogeographic relationships with strains from North America, South America, and Asia, which confirms they are highly variable. Based on our results, we encourage the performance of genome sequencing of strains to obtain a high assembly level of molecular markers and the performance of extensive phylogeographic analysis. Undoubtedly, genomic surveillance helps build a picture of how a pathogen changes and evolves in geographical regions. However, we cannot discard the study of relationships pathogens establish with ticks and how they have co-evolved to establish themselves as a successful transmission system.
PubMed: 36014994
DOI: 10.3390/pathogens11080873 -
Veterinary Medicine and Science Jul 2021This aim of the present study was to estimate the prevalence of haemopathogens in cattle in Beni Hamidene locality, district of Constantine (Νortheastern Algeria)....
This aim of the present study was to estimate the prevalence of haemopathogens in cattle in Beni Hamidene locality, district of Constantine (Νortheastern Algeria). Between June and October 2014, 169 bovines from 25 farms were included in this survey, 32 (18.9%) among them were suspected of piroplasmosis and/or anaplasmosis. Infection prevalences were estimated by microscopic examination of Giemsa-stained blood smears and blood samples from all included cattle (n = 169). Animals were infected by Theileria annulata (65/169; 38.46%), Anaplasma marginale (22/169; 13%) and Babesia bovis (5/169; 3%). Two co-infection patterns were found: Theileria annulata/Anaplasma marginale (7.69%) and Theileria annulata/Babesia bovis (1.18%). Only one farm had no cattle infected by any of the haemopathogens. There was a signification difference of T. annulata infection prevalence according to age category (p =.04). These results emphasised mainly the presence of bovine tropical theileriosis in northeastern, Beni Hamidene locality, province of Constantine, Algeria.
Topics: Algeria; Anaplasma marginale; Anaplasmosis; Animals; Babesia bovis; Babesiosis; Cattle; Cattle Diseases; Coinfection; Cross-Sectional Studies; Female; Male; Prevalence; Theileria annulata; Theileriasis
PubMed: 33683831
DOI: 10.1002/vms3.459 -
Veterinary Research Jan 2018Anaplasma marginale (A. marginale) has a remarkable impact on livestock production, and an effective vaccine is not currently available due to the inexistence of a small...
Anaplasma marginale (A. marginale) has a remarkable impact on livestock production, and an effective vaccine is not currently available due to the inexistence of a small animal model. Recently, BALB/c mice were successfully infected with A. marginale, resulting in an acute and persistent anaplasmosis infection. Here, we designed a hybrid protein containing repeats of polypeptide 1a from major surface protein-1 complex (MSP1a) repeats and common epitopes of outer membrane proteins (OMPs) OMP7, OMP8 and OMP9 expressed in Escherichia coli. Our proof-of-concept assessed vaccinal effectiveness against a challenge with live bacteria. The MSP1a/OMP7/8/9 immunized BALB/C mice exhibited a strong reduction in rickettsemia and had no signs of anaplasmosis or hepatic lesions. In contrast, the non-immunized mice exhibited signs of anaplasmosis and a body weight loss associated with increases in monocyte and neutrophil counts. Furthermore, the non-immunized mice displayed atrophies with chronic inflammatory infiltrates in the spleen and increased binucleation and hydropic degeneration in the hepatocytes. Our findings demonstrated that immunization with our hybrid protein induced a strong reduction in rickettsemia and conferred protection against anaplasmosis. Therefore, given the strong evidence of the protective effect against anaplasmosis, hybrid protein designs are potential candidates for the rational design of vaccinal subunits.
Topics: Amino Acid Sequence; Anaplasma marginale; Anaplasmosis; Animals; Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins; Cattle; Cattle Diseases; Disease Models, Animal; Epitopes; Female; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Rats
PubMed: 29351812
DOI: 10.1186/s13567-018-0503-4