Tick-borne diseases in the Union of the Comoros are a hindrance to livestock development: circulation and associated risk factors

Publication date: Available online 26 August 2019Source: Ticks and Tick-borne DiseasesAuthor(s): F. Boucher, Y. Moutroifi, B. Peba, M. Ali, Y. Moindjie, A.-S. Ruget, S. Abdouroihamane, Kassim A. Madi, M. Soulé, O. Charafouddine, C. Cêtre-Sossah, E. CardinaleAbstractTick-borne diseases (TBD) occur in many temperate countries and are economically important in most tropical and subtropical areas, affecting dairy and beef cattle, as well as small ruminants. Four major tick-borne diseases have been detected in eastern and southern Africa: East Coast fever (ECF) caused by Theileria parva, Theiler 1904, anaplasmosis caused by either Anaplasma marginale, Theiler 1910, Anaplasma centrale, Theiler 1911, and Anaplasma ovis, Bevan 1912, babesiosis caused by Babesia bovis, Babes 1988 and Babesia bigemina, Smith & Kilborne 1893, and heartwater caused by Ehrlichia ruminantium Cowdry 1925. A cross-sectional survey was undertaken to determine the antibody prevalence of these TBDs and to identify the risk factors for TBD infections in the Union of the Comoros. In 2016 and 2017, 903 individual animal serum samples were collected from 429 separate farms, where the farmers answered individual questionnaires. The antibody prevalence of anaplasmosis, babesiosis (B. bigemina) and heartwater was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) and the antibody prevalence of ECF was assessed using an immunofluorescence antibody test (IFAT). The relationship between TBD seropositivity and liv...
Source: Ticks and Tick borne Diseases - Category: Zoology Source Type: research