1. Molecular detection and phylogenetic analysis of tick-borne pathogens in cattle from southern Malawi.
- Author
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Chikufenji B, Mohanta UK, Hayashida K, Chatanga E, Galon EM, Kamanga N, Ringo AE, Ma Z, and Xuan X
- Subjects
- Animals, Cattle, Malawi epidemiology, Polymerase Chain Reaction veterinary, Babesiosis epidemiology, Babesiosis parasitology, Theileria genetics, Theileria isolation & purification, Anaplasmosis epidemiology, Anaplasmosis microbiology, Anaplasma genetics, Anaplasma isolation & purification, Tick-Borne Diseases veterinary, Tick-Borne Diseases epidemiology, Tick-Borne Diseases parasitology, Tick-Borne Diseases microbiology, Cattle Diseases parasitology, Cattle Diseases microbiology, Cattle Diseases epidemiology, Phylogeny, Babesia isolation & purification, Babesia genetics
- Abstract
Introduction: Tick-borne diseases (TBDs) pose a major hindrance to livestock production in countries with limited resources. Effective prevention and management of TBDs require a thorough understanding of disease vectors and pathogens. However, there is limited information on studies of bovine tick-borne pathogens (TBPs) using molecular methods in Malawi. This study aimed to detect TBPs of cattle populations in southern Malawi, which has the largest cattle population in the country., Methodology: A total of 220 blood samples from apparently healthy cattle were collected in six districts, and were screened for selected TBPs using polymerase chain reaction (PCR)., Results: The overall detection rate of TBPs was 72.3%. Among the detected pathogens, Babesia bigemina had the highest detection rate (34.5%), followed by Anaplasma marginale (23.2%), Anaplasma phagocytophilum (22.3%), Theileria taurotragi (22.3%), Theileria parva (15.5%), Anaplasma bovis (9.6%), Babesia bovis (7.3%), Theileria mutans (4.1%), and Babesia naoakii (2.7%). Among the positive samples, 64.2% were found to be co-infected with two or more TBPs, with the highest number of seven pathogens detected in a single sample. The study documents the existence of A. phagocytophilum, B. bovis, and B. naoakii in Malawian cattle for the first time., Conclusion: The findings herein demonstrate a significant burden of TBPs on cattle in Malawi, which gives a challenge in combating TBDs. The high TBP burden, along with the high co-infection frequencies in Malawian cattle necessitates the urgency to implement effective control strategies to enhance cattle production in the country., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V.)
- Published
- 2024
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