Seroprevalence and risk factors for cattle anaplasmosis, babesiosis, and trypanosomiasis in a Brazilian semiarid region

The seroprevalence of Anaplasma marginale, Babesia bigemina, Babesia bovis and Trypanosoma vivax and the risk factors for these infections were investigated in 509 cows on 37 farms in the semiarid region of Paraíba, northeastern Brazil. Cow serum samples were tested by means of immunofluorescence assay (IFA) against each specific antigen. The mean seroprevalence values per farm were 15.0% (range: 0-75%) for A. marginale, 9.5% (range: 0-40%) for B. bigemina and 26.9% (range: 0-73.7%) for B. bovis. All cows tested negative for T. vivax. Higher prevalence for A. marginale was significantly associated with less frequent acaricide spraying per year and with higher use of injectable antihelminthics. Presence of cows positive for B. bigemina was significantly associated with acaricide use and with presence of horse flies on the farm. Both occurrence and higher prevalence of B. bovis were significantly associated with recent observations of ticks on cattle. Overall, the present results indicate that the region investigated is an enzootically unstable area forA. marginale, B. bigemina and B. bovis, since most animals were seronegative to at least one agent.

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Costa,Valéria Medeiros de Mendonça, Ribeiro,Múcio Flávio Barbosa, Duarte,Amélia Lizziane Leite, Mangueira,Julia Marry, Pessoa,André Flávio Almeida, Azevedo,Sergio Santos, Barros,Antonio Thadeu Medeiros de, Riet-Correa,Franklin, Labruna,Marcelo Bahia
Format: Digital revista
Language:English
Published: Colégio Brasileiro de Parasitologia Veterinária 2013
Online Access:http://old.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1984-29612013000200207
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