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Research article - Peer-reviewed, 2017

Co-infection with Babesia divergens and Anaplasma phagocytophilum in cattle (Bos taurus), Sweden.

Andersson, Martin O.; Vichova, Bronislava; Tolf, Conny; Krzyzanowska, Sandra; Waldenstrom, Jonas; Karlsson, Maria E.

Abstract

Babesiosis is a severe disease in cattle worldwide. In Europe, the main causative agent of bovine babesiosis is Babesia divergens. In some areas, this species is reported to have declined or even disappeared, and its etiological role overtaken by other piroplasmid species. Moreover, co-infection with other tick-transmitted pathogens can be expected to complicate diagnosis in cattle. Hence, molecular identification of the causative agent of babesiosis should be a priority. Therefore, samples from 71 domestic cattle, 39 with clinical signs of babesiosis and 32 without, from southern Sweden were screened for Babesia spp. and Anaplasma spp. using molecular methods Babesia divergens was detected in 38 of the samples, and Anaplasma phagocytophilum in 17. Co-infections with both pathogens were frequent, occurring in 18% of the animals with a B. divergens infection. The possibility of co-infection should be considered in diagnosis and treatment of bovine babesiosis.

Keywords

Co-infection; Zoonotic disease; Tick-borne disease; Sweden

Published in

Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases
2017, volume: 8, number: 6, pages: 933-935

Authors' information

Andersson, Martin O.
Linnaeus University
Vichova, Bronislava
Slovak Academy of Sciences
Tolf, Conny
Linnaeus University
Krzyzanowska, Sandra
Linnaeus University
Waldenström, Jonas
University of Kalmar
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Biosystems and Technology

UKÄ Subject classification

Other Biological Topics

Publication Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ttbdis.2017.08.005

URI (permanent link to this page)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/90969