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Tick infestation and occurrence of Anaplasma phagocytophilum and piroplasms in cattle in the Republic of Serbia

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Abstract

Ticks transmit important pathogens affecting cattle such as intracellular bacteria of the genus Anaplasma or protozoa of the order Piroplasmida. This study aimed at assessing tick species present on pastures and cattle and determining occurrence of the tick-borne pathogens Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Babesia spp. in cattle. During May and June 2013, ticks and EDTA blood were collected from 185 dairy cows at six locations in Serbia. Ticks were also collected directly from the pastures at four of these locations. The occurrence of A. phagocytophilum was investigated by serological (immunofluorescence antibody test (IFAT)) and molecular methods (real-time PCR) and of piroplasms by traditional PCR followed by sequencing. The most prevalent tick species on animals was Ixodes ricinus, (n = 167), followed by Haemaphysalis punctata (n = 146) and Dermacentor marginatus (n = 122). On the pasture, however, the most common species was H. punctata (n = 41), I. ricinus (n = 37), and D. marginatus (n = 2). Altogether, 4 out of 163 (2.45%) serum samples of cows were positive for A. phagocytophilum-specific antibodies by IFAT. However, the 135 blood samples tested for A. phagocytophilum DNA were all negative. Altogether, 5 out of these 135 samples were positive for piroplasm DNA. PCR products were sequenced and identified as a benign Theileria spp. with 100% identity with GenBank entries from Italy (Theileria sergenti), China (Theileria spp.), and Korea (Theileria buffeli isolate HS252). The results provide evidence for the presence of several hard tick species infesting cattle in Serbia which can carry pathogens potentially influencing animal health, as well as evidence of contact with tick-borne pathogens Theileria spp. and A. phagocytophilum.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Claudia Thiel, Andrea Mihalkov, Djordje Cvetojević († deceased), and Cathy Graue for the technical assistance. Furthermore, we thank Dr. Dusica Ostojić Andrić for providing cattle breed data and Prof. Alexander Mathis for comments on the manuscript.

Funding

This project was partially funded by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) in the frame of the 2-year bilateral exchange project PPP Serbia 2013.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia

    Ana Vasić, Nemanja Zdravković & Jovan Bojkovski

  2. Institute of Infectology, Friedrich- Loeffler-Institut, Südufer 10, 17493, Greifswald Insel-Riems, Germany

    Ana Vasić & Cornelia Silaghi

  3. Institute of Animal Hygiene and Veterinary Public Health, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany

    Marion Nieder

  4. Scientific Veterinary Institute of Serbia, Belgrade, Serbia

    Nemanja Zdravković & Ivan Pavlović

  5. Scientific Veterinary Institute “Novi Sad”, Novi Sad, Serbia

    Dejan Bugarski

  6. National Center of Vector Entomology, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland

    Cornelia Silaghi

  7. Comparative Tropical Medicine and Parasitology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany

    Cornelia Silaghi

  8. Ernst-Moritz-Arndt-Universität, Greifswald, Germany

    Cornelia Silaghi

Authors
  1. Ana Vasić
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  2. Marion Nieder
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  3. Nemanja Zdravković
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  4. Jovan Bojkovski
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  5. Dejan Bugarski
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  6. Ivan Pavlović
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  7. Cornelia Silaghi
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ana Vasić.

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All applicable international, national, and/or institutional guidelines for the care and use of animals were followed. All procedures on animals were done according to the Animal Welfare Law (Official Gazette of the Republic of Serbia 41/2009).

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Vasić, A., Nieder, M., Zdravković, N. et al. Tick infestation and occurrence of Anaplasma phagocytophilum and piroplasms in cattle in the Republic of Serbia. Parasitol Res 117, 1813–1818 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-018-5867-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-018-5867-x

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