Anaplasma and Theileria Pathogens in Cattle of Lambwe Valley, Kenya: A Case for Pro-Active Surveillance in the Wildlife-Livestock Interface.

Brenda Kisia Odhiambo,Joel L. Bargul,Peter Otieno,Michael N. Okal,Daniel Masiga,Jandouwe Villinger,Shewit Kalayou

doi:10.3390/microorganisms8111830

Abstract

Tick-borne pathogens (TBPs) are major constraints to livestock production and a threat to public health in Africa. This cross-sectional study investigated the risk of infection with TBPs in cattle of Lambwe Valley, Kenya. Blood samples of 680 zebu cattle from 95 herds in six geospatial clusters within 5 km of Ruma National Park were screened for bacterial and protozoan TBPs by high-resolution melting analysis and sequencing of PCR products. We detected Anaplasma bovis (17.4%), Anaplasma platys (16.9%), Anaplasma marginale (0.6%), Theileria velifera (40%), and Theileria mutans (25.7%), as well as an Anaplasma sp. (11.6%) that matched recently reported Anaplasma sp. sequences from Ethiopia. Babesia, Rickettsia, and Ehrlichia spp. were not detected. The animal and herd-level prevalences for TBPs were 78.5% (95% confidence intervals (CI): 75.3, 81.5) and 95.8% (95% CI: 91.8, 99.8), respectively. About 31.6% of cattle were co-infected with 13 combinations of TBPs. The prevalence of TBPs differed between clusters and age, but the risk of infection was not associated with sex, herd size, or the distance of homesteads from Ruma. This study adds insight into the epidemiology of TBPs around Ruma and highlights the need for proactive surveillance of TBPs in livestock–wildlife interfaces.

Highlights

Wildlife–livestock interfaces, or areas where game and domesticated animals co-habit [1], support a plethora of interactions that can be of epidemiological concern [2]
A total of 303 sample (97.4%, n = 311) and 30 samples (7%, n = 432) of the PCR-High-Resolution Melting (HRM) positive samples were sequenced for Anaplasma and Theileria species, respectively
The findings show that cattle are infected with at least four Anaplasma species and two Theileria species

Summary

Introduction

Wildlife–livestock interfaces, or areas where game and domesticated animals co-habit [1], support a plethora of interactions that can be of epidemiological concern [2]. Over the past two decades, there has been a heightened incidence of ticks and tick-borne pathogens (TBPs) across a wide geographical spread [3] and new tick-borne disease agents often discovered [5]. Many of these infectious diseases transmitted by ticks between domestic and wild animals represent emerging and re-emerging burdens to global public health, economies, and the conservation of biodiversity [2,6]. Data are dated and might not be beneficial for the strategic management and control of TBPs [6]

Methods

Results

Conclusion