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

Salmonella Dublin associated with abortion in dairy cattle in Algiers and comparison of different diagnostic methods

Background: In cattle, many serotypes of Salmonella enterica are responsible for a wide variety of clinical manifestations, which can cause considerable economic loss. Some serotypes can cause cows to abort sporadically, such as the Dublin serotype. This study was carried out on different cattle farms in the Algiers region to determine the prevalence of Salmonella Dublin using bacteriological and immunological methods.Methodology: The prevalence of Salmonella was determined by bacteriological analysis in accordance with the reference method AFNOR NF U 47-100 on faecal samples collected from 184 cattle belonging to 19 different farms, and serotyping for S. Dublin. Immunological analysis by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for S. Dublin was carried out on milk samples collected from 91 cattle. A survey of case (n=5) and control (n=14) farms for comparative analysis was performed to demonstrate a link between abortion in cows and prevalence of S. Dublin with both bacteriological and immunological methods. Sensitivity, specificity, Cohen Kappa coefficient, McNemar test odds ratios, and confidence intervals were calculated using Winepiscope 2.0 and StatA 9.1 software,and p<0.05 was considered as statistically significant.Results: The bacteriological results showed a prevalence of 7.6% (95%CI: 3-10), for Salmonella and serotyping revealed a prevalence for S. Dublin of 2.7%. The immunological analysis of milk by the ELISA technique revealed a prevalence of 13.2% (95%CI: 5-20) for S. Dublin. The comparative study between immunological results from milk and bacteriological results from faeces for detecting S. Dublin  showed poor agreement between the two tests (k=0.25), with enzyme immunoassay being significantly more sensitive than the bacteriological test (p<0.05). The results of the survey did not demonstrate a clear association between bacteriological detection of S. Dublin in faeces and abortion in cows (OR=8.66, 95%CI: 0.58-130.12). However, with the immunological analysis of milk for S. Dublin, there was a significant positive association (OR=62.33, 95%CI: 2.13-18.22) between a positive antibody response to S. Dublin in milk and the presence of abortions on the farm.Conclusion: In view of these results, we can conclude that Salmonella infections should systematically feature in the differential diagnosis of abortions in dairy cattle in Algeria. Keywords: S. Dublin, cattle, faeces, milk, abortion, immunology, bacteriology, Algier

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

Le monepantel, un nouvel anthelminthique efficace contre les nématodes gastro-intestinaux des ovins3800

Les helminthes sont des vers parasites affectant l&#039;homme et les animaux en causant des pathologies pouvant être sévères ainsi que de lourdes pertes économiques dans les élevages notamment chez les ruminants. Le moyen de lutte le plus efficace à ce jour est l&#039;utilisation des anthelminthiques. Jusqu&#039;alors, trois classes d&#039;anthelminthiques à large spectre existaient à savoir les benzimidazoles, les imidothiazoles et les lactones macrocycliques. Le dernier médicament mis sur le marché était l&#039;ivermectine en 1981. Malheureusement, l&#039;usage intensif de ces molécules a progressivement débouché sur l&#039;émergence de souches de parasites capables de résister à l&#039;action de ces substances. Certaines souches sont même multi résistantes, principalement chez les petits ruminants. Sur le terrain, cette perte d&#039;efficacité se traduit par des échecs thérapeutiques perceptibles à la fois par le vétérinaire et par l&#039;éleveur. Par conséquent, les chimiorésistances et l&#039;apparition de souches multirésistantes peuvent devenir une cause importante de pertes économiques pour les éleveurs si rien n&#039;est fait. Ce problème croissant a conduit au développement de nouvelles molécules : les dérivés de l&#039;amino- acétonitrile. Parmi ceux-ci, l&#039;AAD 1566 appelé aussi monepantel est la molécule la plus prometteuse. Elle est active par voie orale à une dose de 2,5 mg/kg de poids vif sur le 4éme stade larvaire et les formes adultes d&#039;un large spectre d&#039;espèces de nématodes gastro-intestinaux chez les ovins. Son efficacité a aussi été prouvée sur les souches de nématodes multi résistantes aux autres médicaments anthelminthiques. Par ailleurs, ces résultats d&#039;efficacité sont complétés par la bonne tolérance et une faible toxicité pour les mammifères. La cible du monepantel est le récepteur nicotinique à l&#039;acétylcholine de la sous-famille DEG-3. Cette famille de récepteur est spécifique des nématodes et explique l&#039;absence de toxicité chez l&#039;hôte. Fort de ces résultats, le monepantel a été récemment commercialisé en Europe. Cette nouvelle molécule ouvre de nouveaux espoirs dans le traitement des maladies causées par les vers parasites chez les petits ruminants.</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

Infection with Babesia canis in dogs in the Algiers region: Parasitological and serological study

Background and Aim: Canine babesiosis is a vector-borne disease transmitted by ticks of the Ixodidae family. The effects of infection in dogs can range from the subclinical to the severe lethal form. This study aimed to make an original contribution to the knowledge of circulating species of Babesia spp. in dogs in the region of Algiers as well as mechanisms and risk factors for their transmission. Materials and Methods: An epidemiological study was carried out on 189 blood samples taken from dogs from April 2015 to January 2016. The samples taken underwent parasitological by Giemsa-stained blood smear and serological analyzes by indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFAT). The ticks were looked on all the dogs taken. Results: Giemsa-stained blood smears revealed the presence of two groups of parasites of the genus Babesia: Large Babesia (3/25, 12%) and small Babesia (22/25, 88%). The IFAT at a dilution of 1/32 showed an overall seroprevalence with Babesia canis of 17.98% (95% confidence interval 11.53-22.46). The distribution of the antibody titers for the positive samples showed that of the 34 positive sera with a titer ≥1/32, 28 sera remained positive at a dilution of 1/64 (14.81%), 22 at a dilution of 1/128 (11.64%) and 15 sera remained positive at a dilution of 1/256 (7.93%). Although seroprevalence varied according to canine population (20% and 19.49% in pet dogs and canine pound dogs, respectively, and 6.66-0% in farm dogs and hunting dogs, respectively), statistical analysis showed no significant differences between populations. The antibody titers obtained after several dilutions showed that 22 canine pound dog sera remained positive at a dilution of 1/128 compared to pet dogs and farm dogs which ceased to be positive at the dilution of 1/64. The comparison between the two diagnostic methods showed a strong agreement between the parasitological examination by blood smear and the serological method by IFAT. However, IFAT was much more sensitive. The analysis of risk factors, which may influence B. canis seroprevalence, has shown the influence of age, tick presence, and season. Finally, of the 242 ticks collected from a total of 59 dogs, only one tick species was identified, Rhipicephalus sanguineus. Conclusion: This study indicates a frequent circulation of species of Babesia in the dog in the Algiers region and R. sanguineus was the only tick identified