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Correlation between Rhipicephalus microplus ticks and Anaplasma marginale infection in various cattle breeds in Brazil

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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 and a similar serological pattern throughout the year. None of the animals showed any clinical signs of anaplasmosis during the experimental period, indicating that a low level of tick infestation may be sufficient to maintain a stable enzootic situation.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank Agropecuária Sanyo and Ernesto Lyo Nakashima. This study was financed in part by the Brazilian Federal Agency for Support and Evaluation of Graduate Education (CAPES) - Finance Code 001”, the Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq), and the Foundation for Support to the Development of Education, Science and Technology of Mato Grosso do Sul (Fundect, MS) – State Government of Mato Grosso do Sul.

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  1. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Veterinárias, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul, Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil

    Kauê Rodriguez Martins & Paulino Bonatte-Junior

  2. Bolsista DCR, Fundapam - Governo do Estado de Mato Grosso do Sul/Laboratório de Biologia do Carrapato, Embrapa Gado de Corte, Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil

    Marcos Valério Garcia & Bárbara Guimarães Csordas

  3. Programa de Pós-Graduação em doenças Infecciosas e Parasitárias, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul, Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil

    Pãmella Oliveira Duarte, Leandro Oliveira Souza de Higa & Bárbara Guimarães Csordas

  4. Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária, Embrapa Gado de Corte, Avenida Radio Maia, 830, Mato Grosso do Sul, Campo Grande, Brazil

    Jacqueline Cavalcante Barros & Renato Andreotti

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  1. Kauê Rodriguez Martins
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RA led the study conception and fund raising. All authors contributed to the study design. Material preparation, data collection, and analysis were performed by KRM, LSOH, PBJR, MVG, POD, BGC, and JBC. The first draft of the manuscript was written by KRM, and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Renato Andreotti.

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Martins, K.R., Garcia, M.V., Bonatte-Junior, P. et al. Correlation between Rhipicephalus microplus ticks and Anaplasma marginale infection in various cattle breeds in Brazil. Exp Appl Acarol 81, 585–598 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10493-020-00514-1

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