Search

A major risk factor for the spread of livestock diseases and their vectors is the uncontrolled transboundary movement of live animals for trade and grazing. Such movements constrain effective control of tick‐transmitted pathogens, including Theileria parva. Only limited studies have been undertaken to identify ticks and tick‐borne diseases (TTBDs) affecting cattle in central African countries, including Cameroon. We hereby report the collection of baseline data on the prevalence of T. parva in Cameroon through a countrywide cross‐sectional survey, conducted in 2016, involving collection of blood samples from cattle from 63 sites across the five agro‐ecological zones (AEZs) of the country. ELISA‐based surveillance of infected cattle was performed on 479 randomly selected samples and revealed specific antibodies to T. parva in 22.7% and T. mutans in 41.1% of cattle. Screening of 1,340 representative DNA samples for the presence of T. parva identified 25 (1.86%) positives using a p104 antigen gene‐based nested PCR assay. The positives were distributed across agro‐ecological zones I, II, III and V. None of the p104 positive cattle exhibited clinical symptoms of East Coast fever (ECF). Using reverse line blot (RLB), 58 (4.3%) and 1,139 (85%) of the samples reacted with the T. parva and T. mutans oligonucleotide probes, respectively. This represents the first report of T. parva from Cameroon. Surprisingly, no Rhipicephalus appendiculatus ticks, the main vector of T. parva, were identified in a parallel study involving comprehensive morphological and molecular survey of tick species present in the country. Only two of the 25 p104 positive cattle were PCR‐positive for the CD8+ T‐cell target schizont‐expressed antigen gene Tp1. Cloning and sequencing of Tp1 amplicons revealed sequence identity with the reference T. parva Muguga. This new finding raises serious concerns of a potential spread of ECF into the central African region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our study is the 1st report on subgingival microbiota in adult Cameronians. The aim was to investigate, using the checkerboard DNA-DNA hybridization technique, the prevalence of 18 oral species in subgingival plaque samples obtained from sex- and age-matched Cameronian adults with and without periodontal destruction. We also compared cultivation and the Affirm™TM DP test with the checkerboard technique in their capability to detect some selected species among the 18. 21 adult periodontitis patients and 21 periodontally healthy subjects were examined and the results were compared statistically Each periodontitis patient had at least 4 pockets of &ges;6 mm depth. while the healthy subjects had no sites more than 3 mm deep. Results of the checkerboard analysis showed that significantly (p<0.05) more periodontitis patients tested positive for most of the 18 bacterial species. The Gram-positive species Actinomyces naeslundii, Streptococcus mitis and Streptococcus sanguis, known as microbiota of healthy sites, were detected significantly more frequently in the healthy group. Cultivation demonstrated P. gingivalis, B. forsythus, A. actinomycetemcomitans, P. intermedia and F. nucleatum in significantly lower %s of patients as compared to the checkerboard technique. Furthermore, the Affirm™TM DP test detected P. gingivalis and B. forsythus in significantly fewer patients than did the checkerboard technique. A. actinomycetemcomitns was detected in 52.3% of the patients by the latter technique while the Affirm™TM DP test failed to detect the bacterium in any of the samples. Overall, the results of the present study confirm the importance of the screening method and indicate that the prevalences of the investigated putative periodontal pathogens and beneficial species in the healthy and diseased adult Cameronians were similar to those reported for adults in the West and in some developing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]