1. A molecular survey of Theileria and Babesia parasites in cattle, with a note on the distribution of ticks in Tunisia
- Author
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Y, M'ghirbi, A, Hurtado, J F, Barandika, J, Brandika, K, Khlif, Z, Ketata, A, Bouattour, Institut Pasteur de Tunis, Réseau International des Instituts Pasteur (RIIP), Neiker-Instituto Vasco de Investigación y Desarrollo Agrario (SPAIN), Instituto Vasco de Investigación y Desarrollo Agrario [Derio] (NEIKER), Circonscription Santé Animale, CRDA Zaghouan, and This work was supported by grant from the Ministry for Higher Education, Scientific Research and Technology in Tunisia.
- Subjects
Veterinary medicine ,MESH: Sequence Analysis, DNA ,Hyalomma marginatum ,[SDV]Life Sciences [q-bio] ,030308 mycology & parasitology ,0403 veterinary science ,0302 clinical medicine ,Ticks ,Theileria ,MESH: Cattle Diseases ,Acari ,MESH: Animals ,0303 health sciences ,biology ,MESH: Theileria ,Ricinus ,04 agricultural and veterinary sciences ,General Medicine ,3. Good health ,MESH: Cattle ,MESH: Babesiosis ,Infectious Diseases ,Blood ,MESH: Theileriasis ,MESH: Tick Infestations ,MESH: Tunisia ,Ixodidae ,MESH: Babesia ,Ixodes ricinus ,Tunisia ,040301 veterinary sciences ,030231 tropical medicine ,Molecular Sequence Data ,MESH: DNA, Protozoan ,Babesia ,Cattle Diseases ,03 medical and health sciences ,Babesiosis ,parasitic diseases ,MESH: Blood ,RNA, Ribosomal, 18S ,Animals ,[SDV.MP.PAR]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Microbiology and Parasitology/Parasitology ,MESH: Ticks ,MESH: Molecular Sequence Data ,General Veterinary ,Babesia bovis ,Sequence Analysis, DNA ,DNA, Protozoan ,biology.organism_classification ,Virology ,Theileriasis ,Tick Infestations ,MESH: RNA, Ribosomal, 18S ,Insect Science ,[SDV.SPEE]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Santé publique et épidémiologie ,Parasitology ,Cattle - Abstract
International audience; Between October and November 2006, a total of 278 bovine blood samples were examined, and 104 (37.4%) were positive for piroplasms by microscopy. A reverse line blot hybridisation with polymerase chain reaction detected Theileria annulata, T. buffeli, Babesia bovis and B. bigemina in cattle accounting for 48.6% of positive samples. The most frequently found species was T. buffeli, which was present in 39.2% of the samples. T. annulata was found in 48 samples (17.3%). Babesia infections were less frequently detected: B. bovis was found in 6.8% of the samples and B. bigemina in 4.3%. Mixed infections were detected in 45 samples, accounting for seven different combinations of species. Seven Ixodid tick species (Boophilus annulatus, Ixodes ricinus, Hyalomma marginatum, Hyalomma excavatum, Hyalomma detritum, Haemaphysalis punctata and Haemaphysalis sulcata) were collected from examined cattle in the 23 visited farms. I. ricinus was the dominant species (36%), mainly collected in the humid zone, while it seemed to be very rare in the semi-arid zone (where only 15 specimens were collected), whereas B. annulatus was the most commonly collected species in the sub-humid area (68.5% of ticks collected in this zone).
- Published
- 2008
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