Clinical, serological, and molecular evidence of ehrlichiosis and anaplasmosis in dogs in Tunisia

International audienceA seroepidemiological survey was conducted in five bioclimatic areas of Tunisia to determine the prevalence of antibodies to Ehrlichia canis and Anaplasma phagocytophilum antigens, surrogate markers of the agents of canine monocytic ehrlichiosis (CME) and canine granulocytic ehrlichiosis, respectively. Among 286 collected sera, 54.2% and 25.2% were seropositive for E. canis and A. phagocytophilum, respectively, by the indirect immunofluorescence antibody (IFA) test. Clinical and hematological tests were done only for 58 sick dogs from Tunis area. A reverse line blot (RLB) hybridization was then used to identify isolated Ehrlichia and Anaplasma species infecting dogs (n = 228). Among them, only two dogs were infected by A. phagocytophilum; ten sample dogs were demonstrated infected by E. canis and ten infected by Ehrlichia sp., from which one dog showed a mixed infection with A. phagocytophilum and E. canis and one with A. phagocytophilum and Ehrlichia sp. RLB findings were confirmed by sequencing; BLAST search against GenBank revealed high similarity of the sequence of Ehrlichia sp. PCR/RLB amplicons with Anaplasma platys 16S rRNA partial sequence

A molecular survey of Theileria and Babesia parasites in cattle, with a note on the distribution of ticks in Tunisia.

International audienceBetween October and November 2006, a total of 278 bovine blood samples were examined, and 104 (37.4%) were positive for piroplasms by microscopy. A reverse line blot hybridisation with polymerase chain reaction detected Theileria annulata, T. buffeli, Babesia bovis and B. bigemina in cattle accounting for 48.6% of positive samples. The most frequently found species was T. buffeli, which was present in 39.2% of the samples. T. annulata was found in 48 samples (17.3%). Babesia infections were less frequently detected: B. bovis was found in 6.8% of the samples and B. bigemina in 4.3%. Mixed infections were detected in 45 samples, accounting for seven different combinations of species. Seven Ixodid tick species (Boophilus annulatus, Ixodes ricinus, Hyalomma marginatum, Hyalomma excavatum, Hyalomma detritum, Haemaphysalis punctata and Haemaphysalis sulcata) were collected from examined cattle in the 23 visited farms. I. ricinus was the dominant species (36%), mainly collected in the humid zone, while it seemed to be very rare in the semi-arid zone (where only 15 specimens were collected), whereas B. annulatus was the most commonly collected species in the sub-humid area (68.5% of ticks collected in this zone)

Anaplasma marginale and A. phagocytophilum in cattle in Tunisia

Abstract Background Tick-borne diseases caused by Anaplasma species put serious constraints on the health and production of domestic cattle in tropical and sub-tropical regions. After recovering from a primary infection, cattle typically become persistent carriers of pathogens and play a critical role in the epidemiology of the disease, acting as reservoirs of the Anaplasma spp. Methods In this study a duplex PCR assay was used for the simultaneous detection of Anaplasma marginale and Anaplasma phagocytophilum in cattle using two primer pairs targeting msp4 and msp2 genes, respectively. We used this method to analyze DNA preparations derived from 328 blood cattle samples that were collected from 80 farms distributed among Tunisia’s four bioclimatic zones. Results The prevalence of the A. marginale infection (24.7 %) was significantly higher and more widespread (in all bioclimatic areas) than that of A. phagocytophilum (0.6 %), which was found in a mixed infection with A. marginale. Conclusions The duplex PCR assay used proved to be a rapid, specific and inexpensive mean for the simultaneous detection of Anaplasma marginale and Anaplasma phagocytophilum in cattle blood. It allowed us to report the identification of A. phagocytophilum for the first time in cattle in Tunisia and confirm the presence of A. marginale in cattle from several geographical areas of the country. Further epidemiological studies undertaken using this assay will help improve the surveillance of the associated diseases in the regions where they are endemic