Abstract
BackgroundInfections with Babesia bovis, Babesia bigemina, Theileria species and Anaplasma marginale are endemic in Kenya yet there is a lack of adequate information on their genotypes. This study established the genetic diversities of the above tick-borne hemoparasites infecting cattle in Kenya.MethodsNested PCR and sequencing were used to determine the prevalence and genetic diversity of the above parasites in 192 cattle blood samples collected from Ngong and Machakos farms. B. bovis spherical body protein 4, B. bigemina rhoptry-associated protein 1a, A. marginale major surface protein 5, Theileria spp. 18S rRNA, T. parva p104 and T. orientalis major piroplasm surface protein were used as the marker genes.ResultsB. bovis, B. bigemina, T. parva, T. velifera, T. taurotragi, T. mutans and A. marginale were prevalent in both farms, whereas T. ovis, Theileria sp. (buffalo) and T. orientalis were found only in Ngong farm. Co-infections were observed in more than 50 % of positive samples in both farms. Babesia parasites and A. marginale sequences were highly conserved while T. parva and T. orientalis were polymorphic. Cattle-derived T. parva was detected in Machakos farm. However, cattle and buffalo–derived Theileria were detected in Ngong farm suggesting interactions between cattle and wild buffaloes. Generally, the pathogens detected in Kenya were genetically related to the other African isolates but different from the isolates in other continents.ConclusionsThe current findings reaffirm the endemicity and co-infection of cattle with tick-borne hemoparasites, and the role of wildlife in pathogens transmission and population genetics in Kenya.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13071-015-1106-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Highlights
Infections with Babesia bovis, Babesia bigemina, Theileria species and Anaplasma marginale are endemic in Kenya yet there is a lack of adequate information on their genotypes
Babesiosis and theileriosis are caused by the protozoan parasites, Babesia and Theileria respectively while anaplasmosis is caused by rickettsial organism known as Anaplasma
This study was done to determine the genetic diversities as well as molecular epidemiology of B. bovis, B. bigemina, Theileria spp. and A. marginale isolates of cattle raised in Machakos and Ngong districts of Kenya
Summary
Infections with Babesia bovis, Babesia bigemina, Theileria species and Anaplasma marginale are endemic in Kenya yet there is a lack of adequate information on their genotypes. This study established the genetic diversities of the above tick-borne hemoparasites infecting cattle in Kenya. Babesiosis, theileriosis and anaplasmosis are important tick-borne diseases of cattle worldwide including Kenya. Babesiosis and theileriosis are caused by the protozoan parasites, Babesia and Theileria respectively while anaplasmosis is caused by rickettsial organism known as Anaplasma. Bovine theileriosis is another tick-borne disease found in many African countries. Tropical theileriosis and East Coast fever (ECF) are the most severe forms of the disease. Tropical theileriosis, caused by T. annulata and transmitted by Hyalomma ticks is distributed in Northern Africa. ECF is probably the most important tick-borne disease in
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