Serological occurrence for tick-borne agents in beef cattle in the Brazilian Pantanal

Abstract

This study investigated the seropositivity for five different tick-borne agents, namely Anaplasma marginale, Babesia bovis, Babesia bigemina, Coxiella burnetii, Anaplasma phagocytophilum, and Trypanosoma vivax in beef cattle in the Brazilian Pantanal. The serum samples collected from animals (200 cows; 200 calves) were used in indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (iELISA) to detect IgG antibodies against A. marginale, B. bovis, B. bigemina, and T. vivax, and Indirect Fluorescent Antibody Test (IFAT) for detecting IgG antibodies against C. burnetii and A. phagocytophilum. No correlation was observed between seropositivity for C. burnetii and A. phagocytophilum with other agents whereas moderate correlation was observed for A. marginalexB. bigemina x B. bovis. Cows were more seropositive for T. vivax whereas calves were more seropositive for B. bovis and B. bigemina. The highest number of seropositive animals by a single agent was observed for T. vivax (15.2%). Co-seropositivity for T. vivax + A. marginale was higher in cows (25.5%) and for T. vivax + B. bovis + B. bigemina + A. marginale was higher in calves (57.5%). The high seropositivity correlation for A. marginale x B. bovis x B. bigemina is probably due to the presence of the tick biological vector, Rhipicephalus microplus, in the studied farms. Common transmission pathways, mediated by hematophagous dipterans and fomites, may explain the high co-seropositivity of cows for A. marginale and T. vivax. Low seropositivity to C. burnetii is probably due to the type of breeding system employed (extensive). Seropositivity for A. phagocytophilum in only one animal suggests the occurrence of a cross-serological reaction with another agent of the genus Anaplasma.

Epidemiological aspects of cattle tick fever in Brazil

“…In the Pantanal, the epidemiologic situation of tick fever varies because, throughout the year, the R. microplus presence is irregular. While the bordering area of the Cerrado and Pantanal biomes was classified as stable to babesiosis because of the seroprevalence of 83.9% (1145/1365) found for B. bovis (Madruga et al, 2000) and of 94.3% (1289/1367) for B. bigemina (Madruga et al, 2001), the Pantanais mesoregion in the State of Mato Grosso do Sul was classified as unstable, with seroprevalences of 72.25% (289/400), 61.25% (245/400) and 51.25% (205/400) for A. marginale, B. bovis and B. bigemina, respectively (Ramos et al, 2020). In the Pantanal, tick fever occurs in some farms with low and high areas when cattle are transported from the former to the latter.…”

Q fever and coxiellosis in Brazil: an underestimated disease? A brief review

“…Furthermore, seropositive samples were subjected to real-time PCR based on the IS1111 gene, and 12.2% of serum samples were positive (Mioni et al, 2020a). Furthermore, in 2020, anti-C. burnetii antibodies were detected by IFA in 1% of 200 beef cattle in a study related to co-seropositivity among tick-transmitted agents in five different farms located in the central region of the Pantanal Sul-Matogrossense (Ramos et al, 2020). Seroreactivity to C. burnetii was observed in 5% (endpoint titers 128) and 4% (titers 256-512) of domestic dogs from Pernambuco and Ceará, respectively, using the IFA test, no phase I or phase II specification (Oliveira et al, 2020).…”