PRELIMINARY DATA ON DETECTION OF ANTIBODIES AGAINST Anaplasma spp. IN CATTLE, ROMANIA.

Anaplasmosis, a tick-borne disease affecting cattle worldwide caused by Anaplasma spp. (Rickettsiales: Anaplasmataceae), is associated with considerable economic losses to dairy and beef industries. Data about exposure to Anaplasma spp. infection of cattle in Romania is limited. Therefore, a cross-sectional serological study was conducted to preliminary investigate the serological status on Anaplasma spp. infection in Romanian catlle. For this, 182 catlle originated from three counties in Northeastern and Southeastern Romania were included in the study. Cattle serum samples were tested with a competitive enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (cELISA) detecting an epitope of major surface protein 5 (MSP5) of Anaplasma spp. The results were expressed as percentage (%) of inhibition (I) calculated according to the indications of the manufactures; samples with I ≥30% were considered positive. Subsequently, the overall seropositivity was 42.3% (95% CI: 35.03 - 49.84); significant difference of seroprevalence values (p< 0.05) were registered according to the cattle originating county, ranging from 22.2% (95% CI: 13.26-33.57) to 72.0% (95% CI: 57.50-83.77). These findings emphasize on the need for further studies to identify the species and associated risk factors for Anaplasma inffection of cattle in Romania, as base for developing control strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]