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Molecular diagnosis of the tick-borne pathogen Anaplasma marginale in cattle blood samples from Nigeria using qPCR

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Abstract

Tick-borne diseases (TBDs) are some of the most important animal health and management problems in Africa, including Nigeria. This study aims to determine the prevalence of an important TBD, anaplasmosis, in a North-central region of Nigeria. Blood samples were collected from cattle and stored on Whatman FTA® cards. Information on village, age and sex associated with each cattle was also recorded. The packed red blood cell volume (PCV) for each blood sample was determined. After DNA extraction, pathogen presence was evaluated by TaqMan® based qPCR of which 75.9 % of the cattle tested positive for Anaplasma marginale. Statistical analysis revealed that the presence of A. marginale infection differed significantly between cattle age groups. However, there was no significant difference in the prevalence of this pathogen between the sexes or among cattle grouped by PCV level. Finally, using a highly sensitive molecular method our pioneer study contributes to the improvement of the current knowledge regarding tick-borne pathogens that seriously affect animal health in specific areas of Nigeria.

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Abbreviations

DNA:

Deoxyribonucleic acid

EDTA:

Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid

LGA:

Local Government Area

PCR:

Polymerase chain reaction

PCV:

Packed cell volume

qPCR:

Real time PCR

rRNA:

Ribosomal ribonucleic acid

TBDs:

Tick-borne diseases

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge Rosângela Zacarias Machado (Universidade Estadual Paulista—Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias, Brazil) for the Anaplasma marginale control. We would also like to thank the staff of the Department of Veterinary Services, Kwara State Ministry of Agriculture for providing field support and all the farmers that participated in the research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Veterinary Science, University of Bristol, Langford, Bristol, BS40 5DU, UK

    Nusirat Elelu & Mark C. Eisler

  2. Global Health and Tropical Medicine, Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical, Rua da Junqueira 100, 1349-008, Lisbon, Portugal

    Joana Ferrolho, Joana Couto & Ana Domingos

Authors
  1. Nusirat Elelu
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  2. Joana Ferrolho
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  3. Joana Couto
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  4. Ana Domingos
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  5. Mark C. Eisler
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Correspondence to Joana Ferrolho.

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The authors declare no competing personal or financial interests.

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Elelu, N., Ferrolho, J., Couto, J. et al. Molecular diagnosis of the tick-borne pathogen Anaplasma marginale in cattle blood samples from Nigeria using qPCR. Exp Appl Acarol 70, 501–510 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10493-016-0081-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10493-016-0081-y

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