1
|
Obara I, Makori P, Sibeko KP, Bishop RP, Nijhof AM, Mwamuye M. Conservation and variation in the region of the Theileria parva p104 antigen coding gene used for PCR surveillance of the parasite. Parasitol Res 2023; 122:1381-1390. [PMID: 37081209 PMCID: PMC10172223 DOI: 10.1007/s00436-023-07838-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2023] [Accepted: 04/04/2023] [Indexed: 04/22/2023]
Abstract
The range of the protozoan parasite Theileria parva, which causes East Coast fever in cattle, has been expanding to countries where it has not previously been detected, as a result of cross-border domestic cattle movement. Countries where T. parva has not previously been observed until recently include Cameroon and South Sudan. This raises the issue of the conservation of the p104 antigen gene, on which the nested PCR assay that is widely used for T. parva surveillance in the blood of infected cattle is based. We sampled 40 isolates from six countries widely distributed across the geographical range of the parasite, including eastern, central and southern Africa, for p104 sequence polymorphism. These included parasites from both domestic cattle and the Cape buffalo (Syncerus caffer) wildlife reservoir. The most frequent allelic variants were present in cattle transmissible isolates from multiple widely separated geographical regions in Zambia, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda and South Africa. These frequent p104 variants were also present in the three component stocks of the Muguga cocktail used for the infection and treatment live immunisation procedure to control T. parva in the field. Other isolates exhibited unique alleles. This includes some of the p104 sequences from Cameroon, which is outside the known range of the Rhipicephalus tick vector and whose origin is therefore unclear. The nested primer oligonucleotides used to generate the amplicons were universally conserved in cattle-derived parasites and a majority of buffalo-derived isolates across the geographical range of the parasite. However, some rare South African buffalo-derived isolates exhibited one or two mismatches with the primer sequences. It therefore remains possible that some p104 alleles may be so divergent that they do not amplify with the current diagnostic primers and are not detectable in surveys, hence the need for increasing knowledge of genetic heterogeneity of diagnostic targets. There was no evidence for positive selection among those p104 mutations that resulted in residue changes. Importantly, the data indicate that the p104-based PCR detection assay should be effective across the majority of the range of T. parva, and if the one or two mismatches are shown in future to result in the primers annealing less efficiently, then the assay can be further improved by introduction of degenerate bases to enable amplification of the less frequent South African buffalo-derived variant p104 genes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Isaiah Obara
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, Institute for Parasitology and Tropical Veterinary Medicine, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, Veterinary Centre for Resistance Research, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
| | | | - Kgomotso P Sibeko
- Vector and Vector-Borne Disease Research Programme, Department of Veterinary Tropical Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Richard P Bishop
- Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Pathology, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA
| | - Ard M Nijhof
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, Institute for Parasitology and Tropical Veterinary Medicine, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, Veterinary Centre for Resistance Research, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Micky Mwamuye
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, Institute for Parasitology and Tropical Veterinary Medicine, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Department of Environment and Natural Resource Management, Africa Nazarene University, Kajiado, Kenya
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Chatanga E, Ohari Y, Muleya W, Hayashida K, Sugimoto C, Katakura K, Nonaka N, Nakao R. Genotyping of Theileria parva populations in vaccinated and non-vaccinated cattle in Malawi. Parasitology 2022; 149:1-8. [PMID: 35481462 DOI: 10.1017/s0031182022000464] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Theileria parva is an apicomplexan protozoan parasite that causes bovine theileriosis (East Coast Fever; ECF) in central, eastern and southern Africa. In Malawi, ECF is endemic in the northern and central regions where it has negatively affected the development of dairy industry. Despite its endemic status the genetic population structure of T. parva in Malawi is currently unknown. To obtain an understanding of T. parva in Malawi, we performed population genetics analysis of T. parva populations in cattle vaccinated with the Muguga cocktail live vaccine and non-vaccinated cattle using mini- and microsatellite markers covering all the four T. parva chromosomes. The T. parva Muguga strain was included in this study as a reference strain. Linkage disequilibrium was observed when all samples were treated as a single population. There was sub-structuring among the samples as shown by the principal coordinate analysis. Majority of the samples clustered with the T. parva Muguga reference strain suggesting that the isolates in Malawi are closely related to the vaccine component, which support the current use of Muguga cocktail vaccine to control ECF. The clustering of samples from non-endemic southern region with those from endemic central region suggests expansion of the distribution of T. parva in Malawi.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Elisha Chatanga
- Laboratory of Parasitology, Graduate School of Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Kita-18, Nishi-9, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-0818, Japan
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources, P.O. Box 219, Lilongwe, Malawi
| | - Yuma Ohari
- Laboratory of Parasitology, Graduate School of Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Kita-18, Nishi-9, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-0818, Japan
| | - Walter Muleya
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zambia, P.O. Box 32379, Lusaka, Zambia
| | - Kyoko Hayashida
- Division of Collaboration and Education, International Institute for Zoonosis Control, Hokkaido University, Kita-20, Nishi-10, Sapporo, Hokkaido 001-0020, Japan
| | - Chihiro Sugimoto
- Division of Collaboration and Education, International Institute for Zoonosis Control, Hokkaido University, Kita-20, Nishi-10, Sapporo, Hokkaido 001-0020, Japan
| | - Ken Katakura
- Laboratory of Parasitology, Graduate School of Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Kita-18, Nishi-9, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-0818, Japan
| | - Nariaki Nonaka
- Laboratory of Parasitology, Graduate School of Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Kita-18, Nishi-9, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-0818, Japan
| | - Ryo Nakao
- Laboratory of Parasitology, Graduate School of Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Kita-18, Nishi-9, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-0818, Japan
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Al-Hamidhi S, Parveen A, Iqbal F, Asif M, Akhtar N, Elshafie EI, Beja-Pereira A, Babiker HA. Diversity and Genetic Structure of Theileria annulata in Pakistan and Other Endemic Sites. Pathogens 2022; 11:pathogens11030334. [PMID: 35335658 PMCID: PMC8950521 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens11030334] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2021] [Revised: 12/10/2021] [Accepted: 03/01/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: Theileria annulata is a tick-borne protozoan parasite responsible for bovine theileriosis, a disease that impacts cattle population in many developing countries. Development and deployment of effective control strategies, based on vaccine or therapy, should consider the extent of diversity of the parasite and its population structure in different endemic areas. In this study, we examined T. annulata in Pakistan and carried out a comparative analysis with similar data garneted in other areas, to provide further information on the level of parasite diversity and parasite genetic structure in different endemic areas. Methods: The present study examined a set of 10 microsatellites/minisatellites and analyzed the genetic structure of T. annulata in cattle breeds from Pakistan (Indian sub-continent) and compared these with those in Oman (Middle East), Tunisia (Africa), and Turkey (Europe). Result: A high level of genetic diversity was observed among T. annulata detected in cattle from Pakistan, comparable to that in Oman, Tunisia, and Turkey. The genotypes of T. annulata in these four countries form genetically distinct groups that are geographically sub-structured. The T. annulata population in Oman overlapped with that in the Indian Subcontinent (Pakistan) and that in Africa (Tunisia). Conclusions: The T. annulata parasite in Pakistan is highly diverse, and genetically differentiated. This pattern accords well and complements that seen among T. annulata representing the global endemic site. The parasite population in the Arabian Peninsula overlapped with that in the Indian-Subcontinent (India) and that in Africa (Tunisia), which shared some genotypes with that in the Near East and Europe (Turkey). This suggests some level of parasite gene flow, indicative of limited movement between neighboring countries.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Salama Al-Hamidhi
- Department of Biochemistry, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat 123, Oman;
| | - Asia Parveen
- Institute of Pure and Applied Biology, Zoology Division, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan 60800, Pakistan; (A.P.); (F.I.); (M.A.); (N.A.)
| | - Furhan Iqbal
- Institute of Pure and Applied Biology, Zoology Division, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan 60800, Pakistan; (A.P.); (F.I.); (M.A.); (N.A.)
| | - Muhammad Asif
- Institute of Pure and Applied Biology, Zoology Division, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan 60800, Pakistan; (A.P.); (F.I.); (M.A.); (N.A.)
| | - Naheed Akhtar
- Institute of Pure and Applied Biology, Zoology Division, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan 60800, Pakistan; (A.P.); (F.I.); (M.A.); (N.A.)
| | - Elshafie I. Elshafie
- Department of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, College of Agricultural and Marine Sciences, Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat 123, Oman;
- Central Veterinary Research Laboratories, Al Amarat, Khartoum P.O. Box 8067, Sudan
| | - Albano Beja-Pereira
- Research Centre in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources (CIBIO), InBIO, University of Porto, Rua Padre Armando Quintas 7, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal;
- DGAOT, Faculty of Sciences, Universidade do Porto, Rua Campo Alegre 687, 4169-007 Porto, Portugal
- Sustainable Agrifood Production Research Centre (GreenUPorto), Universidade do Porto, Rua da Agrária 747, 4485-646 Vairão, Portugal
| | - Hamza A. Babiker
- Department of Biochemistry, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat 123, Oman;
- Institute of Immunology and Infection Research, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9YL, UK
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +968-2414-3410
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Bishop RP, Odongo D, Ahmed J, Mwamuye M, Fry LM, Knowles DP, Nanteza A, Lubega G, Gwakisa P, Clausen PH, Obara I. A review of recent research on Theileria parva: Implications for the infection and treatment vaccination method for control of East Coast fever. Transbound Emerg Dis 2020; 67 Suppl 1:56-67. [PMID: 32174044 DOI: 10.1111/tbed.13325] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2019] [Revised: 07/17/2019] [Accepted: 08/05/2019] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
The infection and treatment (ITM) live vaccination method for control of Theileria parva infection in cattle is increasingly being adopted, particularly in Maasai pastoralist systems. Several studies indicate positive impacts on human livelihoods. Importantly, the first detailed protocol for live vaccine production at scale has recently been published. However, quality control and delivery issues constrain vaccination sustainability and deployment. There is evidence that the distribution of T. parva is spreading from endemic areas in East Africa, North into Southern Sudan and West into Cameroon, probably as a result of anthropogenic movement of cattle. It has also recently been demonstrated that in Kenya, T. parva derived from cape buffalo can 'breakthrough' the immunity induced by ITM. However, in Tanzania, breakthrough has not been reported in areas where cattle co-graze with buffalo. It has been confirmed that buffalo in northern Uganda national parks are not infected with T. parva and R. appendiculatus appears to be absent, raising issues regarding vector distribution. Recently, there have been multiple field population genetic studies using variable number tandem repeat (VNTR) sequences and sequencing of antigen genes encoding targets of CD8+ T-cell responses. The VNTR markers generally reveal high levels of diversity. The antigen gene sequences present within the trivalent Muguga cocktail are relatively conserved among cattle transmissible T. parva populations. By contrast, greater genetic diversity is present in antigen genes from T. parva of buffalo origin. There is also evidence from several studies for transmission of components of stocks present within the Muguga cocktail, into field ticks and cattle following induction of a carrier state by immunization. In the short term, this may increase live vaccine effectiveness, through a more homogeneous challenge, but the long-term consequences are unknown.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Richard P Bishop
- Department of Veterinary Microbiology & Pathology, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA
| | - David Odongo
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Jabbar Ahmed
- Institute for Parasitology and Tropical Veterinary Medicine, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Micky Mwamuye
- Institute for Parasitology and Tropical Veterinary Medicine, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Lindsay M Fry
- Department of Veterinary Microbiology & Pathology, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA.,Animal Disease Research Unit, Agricultural Research Service, US Department of Agriculture, Pullman, WA, USA
| | - Donald P Knowles
- Department of Veterinary Microbiology & Pathology, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA
| | - Anne Nanteza
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Animal Resources and Biosecurity, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda
| | - George Lubega
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Animal Resources and Biosecurity, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Paul Gwakisa
- Genome Science Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro, Tanzania
| | - Peter-Henning Clausen
- Institute for Parasitology and Tropical Veterinary Medicine, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Isaiah Obara
- Institute for Parasitology and Tropical Veterinary Medicine, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Obara I, Githaka N, Nijhof A, Krücken J, Nanteza A, Odongo D, Lubembe D, Atimnedi P, Mijele D, Njeri A, Mwaura S, Owido G, Ahmed J, Clausen PH, Bishop RP. The Rhipicephalus appendiculatus tick vector of Theileria parva is absent from cape buffalo (Syncerus caffer) populations and associated ecosystems in northern Uganda. Parasitol Res 2020; 119:2363-2367. [PMID: 32500369 PMCID: PMC7308261 DOI: 10.1007/s00436-020-06728-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2019] [Accepted: 05/25/2020] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
Rhipicephalus appendiculatus is the major tick vector of Theileria parva, an apicomplexan protozoan parasite that causes the most economically important and lethal disease of cattle in East and central Africa. The African cape buffalo (Syncerus caffer) is the major wildlife host of T. parva from southern Uganda and Kenya to southern Africa. We show herein that R. appendiculatus appears to be absent from the two largest national parks in northern Uganda. Syncerus caffer is common in both of these national parks, specifically Murchison falls (MFNP) and Kidepo Valley (KVNP). We re-confirmed the previously reported absence of T. parva in buffalo sampled in the two northern parks based on RLB data using a nested PCR based on the T. parva p104 gene. By contrast, T. parva-infected R. appendiculatus ticks and parasite-infected buffalo were present in Lake Mburo (LMNP) in South central Uganda. This suggests that the distribution of R. appendiculatus, which is predicted to include the higher rainfall regions of northern Uganda, may be limited by additional, as yet unknown factors.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- I Obara
- Institute for Parasitology and Tropical Veterinary Medicine, Freie Universität Berlin, Robert-von-Ostertag-Str. 7-13, 14163, Berlin, Germany.
| | - N Githaka
- International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), Nairobi, Kenya
| | - A Nijhof
- Institute for Parasitology and Tropical Veterinary Medicine, Freie Universität Berlin, Robert-von-Ostertag-Str. 7-13, 14163, Berlin, Germany
| | - J Krücken
- Institute for Parasitology and Tropical Veterinary Medicine, Freie Universität Berlin, Robert-von-Ostertag-Str. 7-13, 14163, Berlin, Germany
| | - A Nanteza
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Animal Resources and Biosecurity, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda
| | - D Odongo
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - D Lubembe
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - P Atimnedi
- Uganda Wildlife Authority, Kampala, Uganda
| | - D Mijele
- Kenya Wildlife Service, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - A Njeri
- International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), Nairobi, Kenya
| | - S Mwaura
- International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), Nairobi, Kenya
| | - G Owido
- International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), Nairobi, Kenya
| | - J Ahmed
- Institute for Parasitology and Tropical Veterinary Medicine, Freie Universität Berlin, Robert-von-Ostertag-Str. 7-13, 14163, Berlin, Germany
| | - P H Clausen
- Institute for Parasitology and Tropical Veterinary Medicine, Freie Universität Berlin, Robert-von-Ostertag-Str. 7-13, 14163, Berlin, Germany
| | - R P Bishop
- Department of Veterinary Microbiology & Pathology, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Obara I, Ahmed J, Bishop R, Clausen PH. Towards wider and more efficient deployment of live vaccines for control of Theileria parva and Theileria annulata infections in cattle in eastern, central and northern Africa. Transbound Emerg Dis 2020; 67 Suppl 1:5-7. [PMID: 32174042 DOI: 10.1111/tbed.13359] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2019] [Revised: 09/02/2019] [Accepted: 09/10/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Isaiah Obara
- Institute for Parasitology and Tropical Veterinary Medicine, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Jabbar Ahmed
- Institute for Parasitology and Tropical Veterinary Medicine, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Richard Bishop
- Department of Veterinary Microbiology & Pathology, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington
| | - Peter-Henning Clausen
- Institute for Parasitology and Tropical Veterinary Medicine, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
|