Occurrence of common blood parasites of cattle in Sirajgonj sadar area of Bangladesh

Molecular characterization and phylogeny of Anaplasma marginale, A. phagocytophilum and A. bovis in livestock of Bangladesh

The emergence of Tick-borne Anaplasma spp. poses a significant threat to humans and animals worldwide. Traditional surveys based on examining blood smears overlook the existence of emerging pathogens. This study aimed to screen Anaplasma spp. in livestock species from diverse geographies with molecular tools. We collected 276 blood samples from cattle (Bos indicus), gayals (Bos frontalis) and goats (Capra hircus) in Jhenaidah, Bogura, Sirajganj and Bandarban districts, and Naikhongchari sub-district from June 2021 to March 2022. After that, a molecular screening was conducted through polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and sequencing was done to confirm the PCR results. The PCR assays were performed based on the analyses of groEL (Anaplasma marginale) and 16S rRNA (A. phagocytophilum and A. bovis). The Anaplasma spp. detected in this study were A. marginale (10.51%), A. phagocytophilum (0.72%), and A. bovis (63.77%). However, A. platys was not detected in this study. Among the screened pathogens, the detection of A. bovis (82.86%) was significantly high in the Bandarban district, while A. marginale was found only in cattle in this location. Regarding animal species, the occurrence of A. bovis was significantly higher in cattle. Moreover, the detection rate of A. marginale was significantly higher in adult cattle (≥2 years). The phylogenetic analyses revealed that the groEL sequences of A. marginale and 16S rRNA sequences of A. bovis and A. phagocytophilum were included in a single clade in the respective phylograms, showing a single genotype of each species circulating in Bangladesh. This study reports the existence of A. phagocytophilum in Bangladesh for the first time.

Epidemiological analysis of anaplasmosis in cattle from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

Background and Aim

Anaplasmosis, a tick-borne disease affecting livestock caused by the bacteria Anaplasma, poses a global concern. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence, spatiotemporal variation, and associated risk factors of anaplasmosis in cattle from the Bannu and Lakki Marwat districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.

Materials and Methods

This study used 197 cattle exhibiting clinical symptoms of anaplasmosis in natural settings. Microscopic examination was used to estimate the prevalence. Potential risk factors, such as sampling regions and months, gender, breed, and age were studied.

Results

The study revealed an overall anaplasmosis prevalence of 19.79%. Bannu district exhibited a higher occurrence at 22.10%, compared to Lakki Marwat district at 17.64%. Young cattle (<2 years) demonstrated a notably higher incidence of anaplasmosis (26.78%) compared to adults (>5 years), which had a prevalence of 12.35% (p < 0.05). Female cattle (22.36%) were more susceptible than male cattle (11.11%). Prevalence peaked in June (45.71%) and was lowest in February (3.57%). Crossbred cattle had a higher prevalence (23.52%) than purebred cattle (11.47%).

Conclusion

Anaplasmosis can be effectively controlled using a comprehensive approach encompassing selective breeding for resilience, targeted care of young calves and females, effective tick control during warmer months, consistent use of insecticides, and proactive risk factor management. Raising awareness among farmers through diverse channels, including media, is pivotal to bolster tick-borne disease management strategies.

Molecular Detection and Phylogenetic Analyses of Babesia spp. and Theileria spp. in Livestock in Bangladesh

Piroplasmosis, caused by Babesia spp. and Theileria spp., poses significant constraints for livestock production and upgradation in Bangladesh. Besides examining blood smears, few molecular reports are available from some selected areas in the country. Therefore, the actual scenario of piroplasmosis in Bangladesh is deficient. This study aimed to screen the piroplasms in different livestock species by molecular tools. A total of 276 blood samples were collected from cattle (Bos indicus), gayals (Bos frontalis) and goats (Capra hircus) in five geographies of Bangladesh. After that, screening was conducted through a polymerase chain reaction, and species were confirmed by sequencing. The prevalence of Babesia bigemina, B. bovis, B. naoakii, B. ovis, Theileria annulata and T. orientalis was 49.28%, 0.72%, 1.09%, 32.26%, 6.52% and 46.01%, respectively. The highest prevalence (79/109; 72.48%) of co-infections was observed with B. bigemina and T. orientalis. The phylogenetic analyses revealed that the sequences of B. bigemina (BbigRAP-1a), B. bovis (BboSBP-4), B. naoakii (AMA-1), B. ovis (ssu rRNA) and T. annulata (Tams-1) were included in one clade in the respective phylograms. In contrast, T. orientalis (MPSP) sequences were separated into two clades, corresponding to Types 5 and 7. To our knowledge, this is the first molecular report on piroplasms in gayals and goats in Bangladesh.

Validation of stable reference genes in peripheral blood mononuclear cells for expression studies involving vector-borne haemoparasitic diseases in bovines

Normalization of gene expression data using appropriate reference genes is critical to diminish any technical bias in an experiment involving quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report offering a systematic assessment of 14 potential reference genes (RPLP0, ACTB, RPS28, YWHAZ, SDHA, PPIA, RPS9, RPS15, UXT, GAPDH, B2M, BACH1, HMBS, and PPIB) for the identification of the most stable normalizers for qPCR of target genes in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of bovines for vector-borne haemoparasitic diseases such as anaplasmosis, babesiosis, theileriosis, and trypanosomiasis. A total of 38 blood samples were collected from healthy as well as diseased cattle and buffaloes representing different haemoparasitic diseases. RNA isolated from the PBMCs was subjected to qPCR for the 14 prospective internal control genes. The comprehensive ranking of the genes was accomplished by the RefFinder tool that integrates the results of three algorithms (geNorm, NormFinder, and BestKeeper) and the comparative C_T method. RPS15, B2M, and GAPDH were ranked to be the most stable genes, whereas, PPIA and HMBS emerged to be the least suitable genes. Validation of the selected reference genes by the qPCR analysis of two immunity genes, ISG15 and GPX7 was congruent with the observations of this study. We recommend that a panel of three reference genes including RPS15, B2M, and GAPDH could prove useful in delineating the transcriptional landscape of PBMCs for vector-borne haemoparasitic diseases in bovines.

Molecular detection of Babesia and Theileria from crossbred cattle in Sirajganj and Rangpur districts of Bangladesh

BACKGROUND

Babesia and Theileria are potential threats to the livestock industry, causing considerable economic losses. These tick-borne blood parasites are more prevalent in crossbred cattle than local cattle in Bangladesh.

OBJECTIVES

To confirm the species of Babesia and Theileria in crossbred cattle from the northern part of Bangladesh using conventional and molecular tools.

METHODS

A total of 385 crossbred cattle blood samples were subjected to DNA extraction and PCR. For molecular detection, B. bigemina rhoptry-associated protein 1a, B. bovis spherical body protein-4, and Theileria spp. 18S rRNA were used as the marker genes.

RESULTS

Using PCR, only 72 (18.7%) samples were found piroplasm positive, of which 12.2% Theileria, 4.7% Babesia, and 1.8% mixed infections. Both Babesia (7.3%), Theileria (7.7%) and mixed (2.8%) infections were detected in Sirajganj, and only Theileria (20.4%) was detected in Rangpur district. By PCR and nPCR we detected B. bigemina and T. annulata in Sirajganj district, and Theileria sp. in Rangpur district. The target gene sequences of isolated pathogens confirmed B. bigemina and T. annulata, and Theileria sp from these samples. Blood smears of all samples were also examined microscopically for Babesia and/or Theileria spp. and 14.3% of samples were found positive, of which 5.9% Babesia and 8.3% Theileria. Generally, the pathogens detected in Sirajgang and Rangpur were genetically related to South Asia, particularly South East Asian isolates.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings provide information for a better understanding of the epidemiology of Babesia and Theileria as well as to improve the approaches for diagnosis and control of tick-borne diseases in Bangladesh.

Molecular prevalence of tick-borne haemoprotozoan diseases in cattle of North Eastern state of Tripura, India

The tick-borne haemoprotozoan diseases are major constraint in the health and production of cattle and causes substantial losses to the livestock industry throughout the world. Tripura is a northeastern state of India characterized by a warm humid tropical climate and high rainfall which is conducive to the multiplication of vector-ticks of haemoprotozoan diseases. A total of 320 tick-infested cattle (22 male and 298 female) of either sex was selected randomly from different district of Tripura for the detection of carrier cattle infected with tick-borne haemoparasites from July, 2017 to June, 2019. Out of 320 tick-infected cattle, 4.69% prevalence of B. bigemina infection in cattle was found while Theleria spp. was not prevalent in the collected blood sample by using polymerase chain reaction. The prevalence of B. bigemina was significantly (< 0.05) higher in cattle more than 3 years of age (6.72%) compared to the 1-3 years age group (3.97%) and < 1 year age groups (1.66%). Sex-wise B. bigemina infection was significantly (< 0.05) seen only in female (5.03%) cattle infested with ticks. The district-wise B. bigemina prevalence (%) in Tripura was as in cattle; Dhalai (0.63), Sipahijala (0.31), Khowai (0.31), Gomati (0.31), South Tripura (0.63), North Tripura (0.31), Unakoti (0.31) and West Tripura (1.87) respectively. The use of PCR assays for the detection of B. bigemina and Theileria spp. in the North Eastern state of Tripura of India showed prevalence of 4.69% and 0%, respectively in tick-infested cattle. This study is the first report about the prevalence of tick-borne haemoprotozoan diseases from cattle of Tripura and suggest that babesiosis is more common disease as compared to theileriosis and is more prevalent in adult female tick-infested cattle in Tripura.

Prevalence of Anaplasma species in India and the World in dairy animals: A systematic review and meta-analysis

In the present study, the prevalence of Anaplasma species in diary animals from India and World was estimated using meta-analysis. Based on systematic review of studies on Anaplasma species from India [35] and World [66] from 1988 to 2017 and 1978-2017, respectively, using online databases and offline literatures, meta-analysis using meta package in R-Software was done. Prevalence of Anaplasma species in India and World were 11% [95% level, Confidence Interval[CI] 7-16%, Prediction Interval[PI] 1-69%] and 39% [95% level, CI 30-49%, PI 2-95%], and these were obtained using 31,117 and 46,365 samples, respectively. Period-wise analysis revealed high Anaplasma species prevalence before 2011 for India and the World than from 2011 through 2017. Zone-wise prevalence indicated high prevalence in Central zone [61%] and low in West and South zones [6%] in India, and continent-wise, it was high in South America [82%]. The studies used methods including blood smear examination, serology and nucleic acid-based techniques and revealed high prevalence in serology for India [34%] and World [46%], low prevalence by blood smear for India [7%] and World [21%], but higher sensitivity using nucleic acid-based techniques. Species-wise indicated higher prevalence in cattle [12%] than buffaloes [2%] in India. Prevalence was lower in India compared to the World and higher in South America. Overall, anaplasmosis causes low productivity in dairy animals and economic loss to dairy farmers. Hence, there is a need to control Anaplasma infections in high risk areas by adopting effective therapeutic and preventive measures so as to improve the economic benefits in dairy farming.