Summary
This cross-sectional study applied molecular diagnostic techniques (qPCR and semi-nested PCR) to investigate the prevalence of two economically significant tick-borne pathogens—Ehrlichia ruminantium (heartwater) and Babesia bigemina (babesioisis)—in 157 cattle from Kwara State, north-central Nigeria. Unexpectedly, all samples tested negative for both pathogens despite their known endemicity in Nigeria, contributing new prevalence data that may inform more targeted disease control and surveillance strategies in the region.
UK applicability
This finding has limited direct applicability to UK livestock systems, as heartwater and babesioisis are endemic to tropical and subtropical regions and not present in the United Kingdom. However, the methodological approach (qPCR and semi-nested PCR for pathogen detection) may be transferable to UK surveillance programmes for endemic or emerging livestock diseases.
Key measures
Presence or absence of Ehrlichia ruminantium (detected by semi-nested PCR) and Babesia bigemina (detected by probe-based quantitative PCR) in cattle blood samples
Outcomes reported
The study used probe-based quantitative PCR and semi-nested PCR to test blood samples (n=157) from cattle in Kwara State, Nigeria for Ehrlichia ruminantium and Babesia bigemina. All samples tested negative for both pathogens, providing new epidemiological data on the current burden of these tick-borne diseases in the region.
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