Correlation between Rhipicephalus microplus ticks and Anaplasma marginale infection in various cattle breeds in Brazil
Abstract
The tick Rhipicephalus microplus is responsible for the transmission of Anaplasma marginale, which causes hemolytic anemia, abortion, decreased production, and mortality in cattle in Brazil. However, A. marginale can also persist in cattle herds without any clinical signs. This study investigated the relationship between the number of ticks present on each cattle and the circulating number of A. marginale msp1β gene copies in the blood of Brangus and Nellore cattle reared in the Brazilian Cerrado through a year period. Twenty-three animals (11 Brangus and 12 Nellore) were raised for 12 months with ticks counted every 18 days, and blood collected every 36 days. Blood sera was used for total antigen iELISA, genomic DNA was extracted from whole blood by the phenol/chloroform method and then analyzed by PCR to confirm A. marginale presence with the msp5 gene. Positive samples were quantified by qPCR using msp1β gene. Brangus cattle presented 4.5 fold more ticks than Nellore group. Although Brangus cattle carried a higher overall A. marginale msp1β gene presence than Nellore cattle, no relationship of tick count and copy number could be achieved due to high variability in copy number. Moreover, both breeds showed similar weight gain...Continue Reading
References
Phylogeography of New World isolates of Anaplasma marginale based on major surface protein sequences
Citations
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