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Mnisi SS, Mphuthi MBN, Ramatla T, Mofokeng LS, Thekisoe O, Syakalima M. Molecular Detection and Genetic Characterization of Ehrlichia ruminantium Harbored by Amblyomma hebraeum Ticks of Domestic Ruminants in North West Province, South Africa. Animals (Basel) 2022; 12:ani12192511. [PMID: 36230251 PMCID: PMC9559644 DOI: 10.3390/ani12192511] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2022] [Revised: 09/12/2022] [Accepted: 09/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Ehrlichia ruminantium (E. ruminantium) is the causative agent of heartwater disease and it is mainly transmitted to livestock by Amblyomma hebraeum (A. hebraeum) tick in South Africa. This study investigated the occurrence of E. ruminantium and its genetic diversity in ticks within Ngaka Modiri Molema district of North West Province in South Africa. Genomic DNA was extracted from whole A. hebraeum ticks totaling 876 and resulted in a total of 292 pooled DNA samples. Firstly, conventional PCR was used to detect Ehrlichia spp. targeting the dsbA gene, followed by nested PCR targeting the Map1 gene performed on DNA pool samples that were positive from the first PCR. One hundred and six tick DNA pool samples were positive by dsbA gene PCR for the presence of Ehrlichia spp. with minimum infection rate (MIR) of 121, while 13/106 were positive by Map1 PCR with MIR of 15. Different E. ruminantium Map1 genotypes (NWUe1, NWUe2, NWUe3, NWUe5, and NWUe6) were detected from tick samples and were closely related to more than 13 gene sequences of E. ruminantium from the NCBI GenBank database. These findings suggest that there is a significant diversity of E. ruminantium infecting ticks in the study area.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sifiso S. Mnisi
- Department of Animal Health, School of Agricultural Sciences, North-West University, Private Bag X2046, Mmabatho 2735, South Africa
| | - Malekoba B. N. Mphuthi
- Department of Animal Health, School of Agricultural Sciences, North-West University, Private Bag X2046, Mmabatho 2735, South Africa
| | - Tsepo Ramatla
- Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management, North-West University, Private Bag X6001, Potchefstroom 2531, South Africa
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +27-18-299-2521
| | - Lehlohonolo S. Mofokeng
- Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management, North-West University, Private Bag X6001, Potchefstroom 2531, South Africa
| | - Oriel Thekisoe
- Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management, North-West University, Private Bag X6001, Potchefstroom 2531, South Africa
| | - Michelo Syakalima
- Department of Animal Health, School of Agricultural Sciences, North-West University, Private Bag X2046, Mmabatho 2735, South Africa
- Disease Control Department, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zambia, Lusaka P.O. Box 32379, Zambia
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Thema N, Tshilwane S, Pretorius A, Son L, Smith R, Steyn H, Liebenberg J, van Kleef M. Identification and characterisation of conserved epitopes of E. ruminantium that activate Th1 CD4+ T cells: Towards the development of a multi-epitope vaccine. Mol Immunol 2019; 107:106-114. [DOI: 10.1016/j.molimm.2018.12.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2018] [Revised: 11/06/2018] [Accepted: 12/09/2018] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
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Matos CA, Gonçalves LR, de Souza Ramos IA, Mendes NS, Zanatto DCS, André MR, Machado RZ. Molecular detection and characterization of Ehrlichia ruminantium from cattle in Mozambique. Acta Trop 2019; 191:198-203. [PMID: 30639470 DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2019.01.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2018] [Revised: 01/03/2019] [Accepted: 01/08/2019] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Heartwater caused by Ehrlichia ruminantiumis a disease of domestic and wild ruminants and one of the most economically important tick-borne diseases in Africa. The present study aimed to investigate the occurrence and genetic diversity of E. ruminantium in blood samples from 210 cattle sampled in five districts of Maputo Province, Mozambique. DNA blood samples were initially submitted to PCR assays targeting E. ruminantium pCS20 gene fragments. Additionally, in order to assess the genetic diversity of E. ruminantium, the positive samples were submitted to a PCR assay targeting the E. ruminantium map1 gene. Finally, the amplicons were sequenced and phylogenetic position was inferred using the Maximum Likelihood method. PCR results revealed that the overall prevalence in Maputo Province was 15% of the animals sampled. E. ruminantium map1 sequences showed not to be conserved. In the phylogenetic analysis, E. ruminantium map1 genotypes were positioned into multiple-clades. This study provides information on the prevalence and genetic diversity of E. ruminantium in five localities of Maputo Province. The future immune control strategies against local E. ruminantium must be designed in the light of the genetic diversity of this parasite.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos António Matos
- Laboratório de Imunoparasitologia, Departamento de Patologia Veterinária, Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias (FCAV), Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp), Jaboticabal, SP, Brazil; Direcção de Ciências Animais, Maputo, Mozambique
| | - Luiz Ricardo Gonçalves
- Laboratório de Imunoparasitologia, Departamento de Patologia Veterinária, Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias (FCAV), Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp), Jaboticabal, SP, Brazil
| | - Inalda Angélica de Souza Ramos
- Laboratório de Imunoparasitologia, Departamento de Patologia Veterinária, Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias (FCAV), Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp), Jaboticabal, SP, Brazil
| | - Natalia Serra Mendes
- Laboratório de Imunoparasitologia, Departamento de Patologia Veterinária, Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias (FCAV), Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp), Jaboticabal, SP, Brazil
| | - Diego Carlos Souza Zanatto
- Laboratório de Imunoparasitologia, Departamento de Patologia Veterinária, Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias (FCAV), Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp), Jaboticabal, SP, Brazil
| | - Marcos Rogério André
- Laboratório de Imunoparasitologia, Departamento de Patologia Veterinária, Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias (FCAV), Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp), Jaboticabal, SP, Brazil
| | - Rosangela Zacarias Machado
- Laboratório de Imunoparasitologia, Departamento de Patologia Veterinária, Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias (FCAV), Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp), Jaboticabal, SP, Brazil.
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Thema N, Tshilwane S, Son L, Smith R, Faber F, Steyn H, van Kleef M, Liebenberg J, Pretorius A. Ehrlichia ruminantium antigens and peptides induce cytotoxic T cell responses in vitro. Vet Immunol Immunopathol 2019; 207:1-9. [DOI: 10.1016/j.vetimm.2018.11.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2018] [Revised: 10/25/2018] [Accepted: 11/18/2018] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
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Esemu SN, Ndip RN, Ndip LM. Detection of Ehrlichia ruminantium infection in cattle in Cameroon. BMC Res Notes 2018; 11:388. [PMID: 29898769 PMCID: PMC6001016 DOI: 10.1186/s13104-018-3479-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2018] [Accepted: 06/04/2018] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Ehrlichia ruminantium infection (heartwater) is a major constraint that impacts negatively on the cattle industry development in sub-Saharan Africa and so far, little is known of the presence of heartwater in cattle in Cameroon. This study sought to investigate the prevalence of E. ruminantium infection in cattle in Cameroon and to determine the predictors of infection. RESULTS A species-specific semi-nested pCS20 polymerase chain reaction was used to screen the buffy coats from 182 cattle (comprising 82 cattle that received intensive tick control regimen and 100 cattle on strategic tick control) from two study sites in Cameroon for E. ruminantium DNA in a cross-sectional study. E. ruminantium infection was confirmed in 12 (6.6%) of the 182 cattle comprising 11 that received intensive tick control and one on strategic tick control. Of the 12 cattle detected, 11 were apparently healthy and one was clinically diagnosed of heartwater. All DNA sequences of pCS20 amplicons were identical to each other (a representative sequence deposited in GenBank under accession number JQ039939). These findings which have veterinary and epidemiological significance, suggest the need for further investigation to determine the extent and role of heartwater in cattle in Cameroon.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seraphine N. Esemu
- Laboratory for Emerging Infectious Diseases, University of Buea, P. O. Box 63, Buea, Cameroon
- Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, University of Buea, P. O. Box 63, Buea, Cameroon
| | - Roland N. Ndip
- Laboratory for Emerging Infectious Diseases, University of Buea, P. O. Box 63, Buea, Cameroon
- Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, University of Buea, P. O. Box 63, Buea, Cameroon
- Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Microbial Pathogenicity and Molecular Epidemiology Research Group, Faculty of Science and Agriculture, University of Fort Hare, Alice, South Africa
| | - Lucy M. Ndip
- Laboratory for Emerging Infectious Diseases, University of Buea, P. O. Box 63, Buea, Cameroon
- Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, University of Buea, P. O. Box 63, Buea, Cameroon
- Center for Tropical Diseases, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, USA
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