Abstract
Ticks and tick-borne diseases (TBDs) continue to pose an insidious and ever-present threat to livestock and livelihoods across the globe. Two of the most significant TBDs of cattle in Africa are heartwater and babesioisis, caused by Ehrlichia ruminantium and Babesia bigemina respectively. Both pathogens are endemic in Nigeria. However, to date, little data has been published regarding the number of cattle infected. In this study, blood samples were collected from cattle of the Kwara State, north-central Nigeria. Probe-based quantitative PCR (qPCR) and semi-nested PCR were used to investigate the presence of both pathogens, respectively. Our study found all samples (n = 157) to be surprisingly negative for both B. bigemina and E. ruminantium. These results contribute new information on the current burden of these two pathogens in Kwara State and may be helpful in informing more effective targeting of control strategies in Nigeria.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 1025-1029 |
Number of pages | 4 |
Journal | Parasitology Research |
Volume | 118 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 14 Mar 2019 |
Keywords
- Babesia bigemina
- Ehrlichia ruminantium
- Semi-nested PCR
- Tick-borne diseases
- qPCR
- Nigeria
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
- SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-Being