Abstract
In order to detect the prevalence of Cowdria ruminantium in the vector tick, Amblyomma hebraeum, free-living, unfed adult ticks were collected with the aid of pheromone/CO2 traps. Ticks were collected at the Rietgat communal grazing area, as well as in the southwestern Kruger National Park and in the Songimvelo Game Reserve, all located in heartwater-endemic areas of South Africa. The presence of C. ruminantium in these ticks was determined by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis. Ticks from the Rietgat communal grazing area were assayed in 2 batches and 4.7% of the one and 11.3% of the other were positive for infection, while 5.7% of the ticks collected in the Kruger National Park and 25% in the Songimvelo Game Reserve were positive. These results support the contention that a vector-wildlife cycle of transmission of C. ruminantium, the cause of heartwater in domestic ruminants, can be maintained in the absence of the latter animals.
Highlights
In order to detect the prevalence of Cowdria ruminantium in the vector tick, Amblyomma hebraeum, free-living, unfed adult ticks were collected with the aid of pheromone/CO2 traps
Bryson N R, Horak I G, Venter E H, Mahan S M, Simbi B, Peter T F The prevalence of Cowdria ruminantium in free-living adult Amblyomma hebraeum collected at a communal grazing area and in 2 wildlife reserves in South Africa
The advancement of our understanding of the epidemiology of heartwater in domestic and wild ruminants has undoubtedly been hampered by the poor diagnostic tests available to detect the presence of Cowdria ruminantium, the causative organism of this disease, in free-living, unfed vector ticks of the genus Amblyomma
Summary
In order to detect the prevalence of Cowdria ruminantium in the vector tick, Amblyomma hebraeum, free-living, unfed adult ticks were collected with the aid of pheromone/CO2 traps. Bryson N R, Horak I G, Venter E H, Mahan S M, Simbi B, Peter T F The prevalence of Cowdria ruminantium in free-living adult Amblyomma hebraeum collected at a communal grazing area and in 2 wildlife reserves in South Africa.
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