Seroprevalence of and associated risk factors for Leptospira interrogans serovar Hardjo infection of cattle in Setif, Algeria

Background: Leptospirosis is a cosmopolitan zoonosis caused by Leptospira interrogans responsible for heavy loss both economically and in health, in humans and animals. This study was conducted to determine the seroprevalence and risk factors associated with Leptospira interrogans serovar Hardjo infection in cattle in the state of Setif, northeastern Algeria.Methodology: Between the period 2015 and 2019, a total of 48 randomly selected herds of cattle were investigated, and 406 sera from apparently healthy cattle were analyzed using an indirect enzyme-linked immuno-sorbent assay (ELISA). In order to determine possible risk factors related to leptospirosis, a pre-validated questionnaire was administered to herd owners.Results: The herd prevalence of Leptospira interrogans serovar Hardjo was 31.25% (15/48, 95% CI 19.95–45.33) while the cattle prevalence was 5.42% (22/406, 95% CI 3.61–8.07). Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that the age of cattle between 3 and 6 years (OR = 9.25; p< 0.03), breeding herd size > 20 cows (OR = 13.65; p< 0.01), and semi-intensive management system (OR = 0.21; p< 0,02) were significantly associated with seropositivity to Leptospira interrogans serovar Hardjo.Conclusion: We concluded from this study that Leptospira interrogans serovar Hardjo is circulating among cattle farms in the state of Setif, Algeria. Furthermore, we recommend more studies to be carried out to prove the infectivity and implementation good hygienic practices among cattle farms and people at risk. Keywords: ELISA, herds, questionnaire, leptospirosis, prevalence, Algeri

Study of the risk factors associated with Neospora caninum seroprevalence in Algerian cattle populations

Bovine abortions due to Neospora caninum infection were reported worldwide. The situation in Algeria was unknown. For the evaluation of the prevalence of N. caninum and its associated risk factors, 799 cattle belonging to 87 farms of the north and northeast of Algeria were analyzed. The cattle were divided into imported cattle, local cattle and improved cattle corresponding to breeding between imported and local cattle. Sera were examined for the presence of N. caninum antibodies by indirect fluorescence antibody test. The overall seroprevalence for the 87 farms was 52.87% (41.28-62.71%). The overall animal seroprevalence was 19.64% (16.82-22.45%). The seroprevalence of N. caninum in local cattle (34.28%) was significantly higher (p&lt;0.05) than in modern (16.04%) and improved (18.64%) cattle. The risk factors analysis indicated that cattle population, geographical location, dog presence, season, global farm hygiene or the presence of abortion were significantly associated with seroprevalence.</p

Risk factors for abortion in cattle herds in Algeria11

No abstract available</p

Serological Survey and Associated Risk Factors on Toxoplasma gondii Infection in Goats in Mila District, Algeria

Toxoplasma gondii is a protozoan parasite prevalent in humans and other animals worldwide having medical and veterinary importance on account of reproductive failure causing significant socioeconomic losses. The aims of this study were to estimate the seroprevalence of T. gondii infection in goats, determined the possible risk factors associated, and evaluate the performances of the latex agglutination test (LAT) to anti-T. gondii antibodies screening using the indirect Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay as a reference test (iELISA). A total of 184 serum samples from goats reared on 25 farms in Mila district from North-Eastern Algeria were collected and tested for anti-T. gondii IgG antibodies using two commercial serological tests (ELISA and LAT). A seroprevalence rate of 71.73 % and 63.58 % was obtained by both ELISA and LAT tests, respectively. The analysis of some factors thought to be related to the onset of this infection such as age, sex, management system, locality and presence of cats showed no significant relationship (P > 0.05); these factors did not seem to affect the frequency of the infection. The seropositivity level of T. gondii was significantly higher in aborted goats (P = 0.007), which suggested that they may play a significant role in pregnancy failure. In the concordance evaluation between the two serological tests (ELISA and LAT), the Cohen’s Kappa value was calculated and the results showed a K of 0.519 (p = 0.000) belonging to the range of 0.41—0.60 indicating just average agreement. The results of the Mc Nemar test showed that both tests gave significantly different results and seropositivity values (P < 0.05). The high prevalence observed in this study indicated a widespread exposure to T. gondii from goats and the potential risk of T. gondii infection for humans in North-Eastern Algeria. These results elucidate the challenges of applying serology to estimate goat exposure to T. gondii. The choice between the two serological tests will depend on their performances, as well as the availability of the equipment, laboratory conditions and the number of samples to be tested

Evaluation of a SRS2 sandwich commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for the detection of anti-Neospora caninum antibodies in bovine and canine sera20

Neospora caninum is a parasite responsible for abortion in cows and neuromuscular disease in dogs. Serology is the most widely used technique to evaluate the prevalence of N. caninum in different host populations. A sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) based on the use of an anti-SRS2 monoclonal antibody was evaluated against the indirect fluorescent antibody test for 100 canine sera and against a well-characterized ELISA for 102 bovine sera. In cattle sera, the relative sensitivity and relative specificity were 100%. In dog sera, the relative specificity and relative sensitivity were 94% and 86%, respectively. The kappa value was 1 for bovine sera and 0.77 for canine sera. The seroprevalence was 3.9% in bovine sera and 21-23% in canine sera. The SRS2 sandwich ELISA was considered a valuable tool in both species</p

Epidemiological and Comparative Diagnostic Study of Anaplasma Spp. Infection in Goats from North-Eastern Algeria

Anaplasmosis is an infectious disease affecting goats and other ruminants. Our goal was to estimate the prevalence of Anaplasma spp. infections, and to identify different tick species in goa ts along with their associated risk factors. The epidemiology of Anaplasma spp. (A. ovis/A. marginale) was investigated from April to September 2016 in dairy goats from three different agro-ecological areas in the northeast region of Algeria (Guelma and El-Taref). We tested 182 goat sera using a MSP5 competitive ELISA (cELISA) test for IgG antibody screening, and by microscopic examination using the Giemsa (May-Greunwald-Giemsa) stain of 128 blood smears to detect intraerythrocytic inclusions bodies. The results demonstrated a total infection rate of 78.02 % and 42.18 % using cELISA and MGG, respectively. Only two species of ticks collected were identified, i. e. Rhipicephalus sanguineus (85.39 %) and Rhipicephalus bursa (14.60 %). Our study revealed that factors, such as the season, the type of farming, the hygienic status and the climatic conditions of the studied areas were found to be significantly associated with the tick infestation of goats (P < 0.05). The Anaplasma spp. infection prevalence was found to be highly dependent on the climatic conditions, the season (P < 0.05) and most closely related to the type of breeding and herd management (P = 0.000)