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Mycoplasma wenyonii and Candidatus Mycoplasma Haemobos in Pastoralists Cattle in Nigeria

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Abstract

Purpose

The extensive migration practiced by pastoralists cattle exposes them to a variety of pathogens and vectors which may sometimes lead to severe disease outcomes. Moreover, the synergistic effect of multiple parasitism on the productivity of livestock has been well recognized. This is particularly true where the livestock production system predisposes the animals to constant and heavy infestation with arthropod vectors.

Methods

The presences, prevalence and risk factors for hemotropic Mycoplasma (hemoplasma) infection in cattle in Nigeria was investigated using a PCR and sequencing approach. DNA, extracted from 566 cattle blood samples, collected from 10 states from the three agro-ecological zones (AEZs) of Nigeria, from April 2021 to March 2022, were screened for the presences of hemotropic Mycoplasma spp. DNA.

Results

The DNA of hemoplasmas was detected in 48 out of the 566 (8.5%) samples, 12 (25%) of them were identified as Mycoplasma wenyonii and 19 (38.6%) as ‘Candidatus Mycoplasma haemobos’. Coinfection with both species was detected in 17 (35.4%) of the samples. High prevalence and risk of hemoplasmas infection was associated with sex of the cattle (bulls were more affected; p = 0.005) and the packed cell volume (p = 0.009), but not with the age (p = 0.08), breed (p = 0.22), body condition (p = 0.052), source of the samples (p = 0.45) or the AEZs (0.59). This is the first nationwide survey of hemotropic mycoplasmas in cattle in Nigeria using this molecular approach.

Conclusion

Further studies to determine the veterinary and public health significance of these pathogens, which were previously associated with varying degrees of clinical signs and production losses, are recommended in Nigerian cattle.

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Data availability

Data in this work are available on request from the authors.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to staff and management of abattoirs, animal owners and veterinary personnel that assisted during sampling.

Funding

This work did not receive financial support from any government or private organizations.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Parasitology Division, National Veterinary Research Institute (NVRI), PMB 01, Vom, Plateau State, Nigeria

    Joshua Kamani, Audu Shekaro, Bukar Laminu, Olubade Toyin & Moses Samuel Abasiama

  2. School of Geographical and Earth Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK

    Mike Shand

  3. Department of Molecular Parasitology, Institute of Biology, Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany

    Juliane Schaer

  4. Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel

    Shimon Harrus

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  1. Joshua Kamani
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Contributions

JK: conceptualization, methodology, data analysis, writing—original draft, writing—review and editing. SH: conceptualization, methodology, supervision, writing—review and editing. JS and MS: data curation, formal analysis, writing—review and editing. AS, BL, TO, and MSA: sample collection, laboratory analysis, methodology, writing—review and editing. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Joshua Kamani.

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Kamani, J., Shand, M., Shekaro, A. et al. Mycoplasma wenyonii and Candidatus Mycoplasma Haemobos in Pastoralists Cattle in Nigeria. Acta Parasit. 68, 430–438 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11686-023-00683-0

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