Molecular survey of Babesia parasites in Kenya: first detailed report on occurrence of Babesia bovis in cattle

cg.authorship.typesCGIAR and developing country instituteen
cg.authorship.typesCGIAR and advanced research instituteen
cg.contributor.affiliationInternational Livestock Research Instituteen
cg.contributor.affiliationWashington State Universityen
cg.contributor.affiliationUniversity of Sydneyen
cg.contributor.affiliationUniversity of Nairobien
cg.contributor.crpLivestock
cg.contributor.donorDepartment of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Australiaen
cg.coverage.countryKenya
cg.coverage.iso3166-alpha2KE
cg.coverage.regionAfrica
cg.coverage.regionEastern Africa
cg.creator.identifierNaftaly Githaka: 0000-0003-4530-7164
cg.creator.identifierRichard Bishop: 0000-0002-3720-9970
cg.howPublishedFormally Publisheden
cg.identifier.doihttps://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-022-05279-7en
cg.isijournalISI Journalen
cg.issn1756-3305en
cg.issue1en
cg.journalParasites & Vectorsen
cg.reviewStatusPeer Reviewen
cg.speciesBabesia bovisen
cg.subject.actionAreaResilient Agrifood Systems
cg.subject.ilriANIMAL DISEASESen
cg.subject.ilriCATTLEen
cg.subject.impactAreaNutrition, health and food security
cg.subject.sdgSDG 2 - Zero hungeren
cg.volume15en
dc.contributor.authorGithaka, Naftaly W.en
dc.contributor.authorBishop, Richard P.en
dc.contributor.authorŠlapeta, J.en
dc.contributor.authorEmery, D.en
dc.contributor.authorNguu, E.K.en
dc.contributor.authorKanduma, E.G.en
dc.date.accessioned2022-05-10T15:27:05Zen
dc.date.available2022-05-10T15:27:05Zen
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10568/119504
dc.titleMolecular survey of Babesia parasites in Kenya: first detailed report on occurrence of Babesia bovis in cattleen
dcterms.abstractBackground Among protozoan parasites in the genus Babesia, Babesia bigemina is endemic and widespread in the East African region while the status of the more pathogenic Babesia bovis remains unclear despite the presence of the tick vector, Rhipicephalus microplus, which transmits both species. Recent studies have confirmed the occurrence of R. microplus in coastal Kenya, and although B. bovis DNA has previously been detected in cattle blood in Kenya, no surveillance has been done to establish its prevalence. This study therefore investigated the occurrence of B. bovis in cattle in Kwale County, Kenya, where R. microplus is present in large numbers. Methods A species-specific multiplex TaqMan real-time PCR assay targeting two Babesia bovis genes, 18S ribosomal RNA and mitochondrially-encoded cytochrome b and B. bigemina cytochrome b gene was used to screen 506 cattle blood DNA samples collected from Kwale County for presence of Babesia parasite DNA. A sub-set of 29 B. bovis real-time PCR-positive samples were further amplified using a B. bovis-specific spherical body protein-4 (SBP-4) nested PCR and the resulting products sequenced to confirm the presence of B. bovis. Results A total of 131 animals (25.8%) were found to have bovine babesiosis based on real-time PCR. Twenty-four SBP4 nucleotide sequences obtained matched to B. bovis with a similarity of 97–100%. Of 131 infected animals, 87 (17.2%) were positive for B. bovis while 70 (13.8%) had B. bigemina and 26 (5.1%) were observed to be co-infected with both Babesia species. A total of 61 animals (12.1%) were found to be infected with B. bovis parasites only, while 44 animals (8.7%) had B. bigemina only. Babesia bovis and B. bigemina infections were detected in the three Kwale sub-counties. Conclusion These findings reveal high prevalence of pathogenic B. bovis in a Kenyan area cutting across a busy transboundary livestock trade route with neighbouring Tanzania. The Babesia multiplex real-time PCR assay used in this study is specific and can detect and differentiate the two Babesia species and should be used for routine B. bovis surveillance to monitor the spread and establishment of the pathogen in other African countries where B. bigemina is endemic. Moreover, these findings highlight the threat of fatal babesiosis caused by B. bovis, whose endemic status is yet to be established.en
dcterms.accessRightsOpen Access
dcterms.audienceAcademicsen
dcterms.audienceScientistsen
dcterms.available2022-05-07
dcterms.bibliographicCitationGithaka, N.W., Bishop, R.P., Šlapeta, J., Emery, D., Nguu, E.K. and Kanduma, E.G. 2022. Molecular survey of Babesia parasites in Kenya: first detailed report on occurrence of Babesia bovis in cattle. Parasites & Vectors 15(1): 161.en
dcterms.extent161en
dcterms.issued2022-12
dcterms.languageen
dcterms.licenseCC-BY-4.0
dcterms.publisherSpringeren
dcterms.subjecttick-borne diseasesen
dcterms.subjectanimal diseasesen
dcterms.subjectcattleen
dcterms.typeJournal Article

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