Livestock trypanosomosis in Uganda: parasite heterogeneity and anaemia status of naturally infected cattle, goats and pigs

Abstract

The prevalence and pathogenic effects of trypanosomosis were determined in cattle, goats and pigs reared in Kasese, Jinja and Rakai districts, Uganda; presence of trypanosomes was detected by buffy coat technique (BCT). The overall prevalence of trypanosomosis in cattle was 7.6% (144/1,891), 0.7% in goats (4/573) and 2.3% in pigs (9/386). Internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS1) of ribosomal DNA polymerase chain reaction was utilised to identify trypanosomes to species level and revealed infections in 108 of the 144 trypanosome-positive cattle while all infected goats and pigs gave amplicons. Trypanosoma vivax was the most prevalent trypanosome species in cattle in single and mixed infections compared to infections involving Trypanosoma congolense and Trypanosoma brucei; in pigs, eight were mixed infections with one single T. vivax infection. No predominant trypanosome species was detected in goats. Anaemia, the main trypanosomosis pathological feature, was investigated by determining packed cell volume (PCV). Mean PCV values by t test in infected individuals were significantly lower than non-infected individuals (P<0.05) for all animal species. However, the proportion of anaemic animals was not significantly different in infected and non-infected individuals. In addition, the percent of infected animals by Fisher's exact test depended on district of origin and species but not sex. These findings show that trypanosomosis is a major cause of anaemia in livestock in endemic areas. Cattle were the major animal species affected by trypanosomosis; similar genotypes of trypanosomes were detected in the three animal species. BCT was more effective than ITS1 rDNA detecting trypanosomes in naturally infected cattle.

Apparent Density, Trypanosome Infection Rates and Host Preference of Tsetse Flies in the Sleeping Sickness Endemic Focus of North-Western Uganda

“…An earlier study by Angwech et al [51] in Amuru and Nwoya districts, which border the study area in the present study, found that T. vivax was also the most predominant trypanosome species in cattle. Our results are also consistent with several other previous studies on tsetse and trypanosomes ecology in Uganda [39,52,53].…”

The animal trypanosomiases and their chemotherapy: a review

“…Trypanosoma b. brucei is found in various domestic ungulates but it is particularly virulent in dogs, camels and horses, the latter often succumbing to infection within a few months in the absence of treatment. In areas where more than one trypanosome species is present, mixed infections in domestic animals are often encountered (Kihurani et al 1994; Auty et al 2008; Biryomumaisho et al 2013; Takeet et al 2013; Moti et al 2015) and modern molecular techniques (Desquesnes and Davila, 2002) facilitate speciation. Many wild animal species in Africa also host one or more trypanosome species and can serve as reservoirs for both human and domestic animal infective trypanosomes (Mulla and Rickman, 1988; Auty et al 2012).…”

Diagnostic approach of anemia in ruminants

“…Anemia due to hemolysis can be caused by parasites implicated in tick born fever including piroplasms that invade red blood cells like Babesia spp in small (Esmaeilnejad et al, 2012;Yeruham et al, 1998) and large ruminants (Bal et al, 2016;Trueman and Blight, 1978) and Theileria spp in lambs (Alani and Herbert, 1988) and cattle (Omer et al, 2002;Moll et al, 1986) and rickettsiae, mainly Anaplasma spp that infect granulocytes up to 90% in the peak of bacteremia as it is referred in sheep (Yasini et al, 2012), goats (Gokce and Woldehiwet, 1999) and cattles (Ashuma et al, 2013;Henniger et al, 2013). Furthermore, protozoa like Trypanosoma (Biryomumaisho et al, 2013;Katunguka-Rwakishaya et al, 1997;Anosa et al, 1992) and certain Mycoplasma species (Genova et al, 2011;Suzuki et al, 2011) can also be found in plasma and/or in erythrocytes. In addition, microfilaria, the larval stage of stephanofilarial worm, the causative agent of the bovine stephanofilarial dermatitis, enters peripheral blood circulation causing anemia by increasing erythrocytic fragility (Singh et al, 2011).…”