Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Molecular Evidence and Hematological Profile of Bovines Naturally Infected with Ehrlichiosis in Southern Punjab, Pakistan

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Acta Parasitologica Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

Ehrlichiosis is one of the tick-borne diseases, which is not only neglected in Pakistan but only a few reports have been documented throughout the globe. The purpose of this study is to highlight and report the neglected pathogen from bovines in Pakistan.

Methods

In this study, the pathogen was detected initially based on microscopy, followed by the molecular confirmation and phylogenetic analysis of the pathogen from bovines from south Punjab, Pakistan. The hematological parameters were also assessed in Ehrlichia positive and negative animals. The information of different disease determinants was analyzed by a logistic regression model on SPSS.

Results

The study has reported an 11.98% (23/192) prevalence of Ehrlichiosis from bovines. The prevalence was slightly more in cattle (13.5%) as compared to the buffaloes (10.4%). The previous tick’s history and tick control methods were proved to be the key factors with the occurrence of the disease. The isolates from Pakistan Ehrlichia spp. Pakistan/31, 36, and 8 clustered with the isolates from the USA, Nicaraguan, France, South Africa, and Uganda. Platelet count, hemoglobin level, and hematocrit were found significantly decreased in Ehrlichia affected animals when compared to the healthy bovines.

Conclusion

This is the first report of ehrlichiosis from bovines in Pakistan and will provide the roadmap for future research

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Achenef M, Basaznew B, Mersha C, Wassie M, Gizat A (2014) A three year follow-up study on the occurrence of bovine ehrlichiosis (cowdriosis) at Gondar University dairy farm. J Vet Med Anim Health 6:83–90. https://doi.org/10.5897/jvmah2013.0258

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Loftis AD, Mixson TR, Stromdahl EY, Yabsley MJ, Garrison LE, Williamson PC, Fitak RR, Fuerst PA, Kelly DJ, Blount KW (2008) Geographic distribution and genetic diversity of the Ehrlichia sp. from Panola Mountain in Amblyomma americanum. BMC Infect Dis 8:1–7. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2334-8-54

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Loftis AD, Kelly PJ, Paddock CD, Blount K, Johnson JW, Gleim ER, Yabsley MJ, Levin ML (2016) Panola mozuntain Ehrlichia in Amblyomma maculatum from the United States and Amblyomma variegatum (Acari: Ixodidae) from the Caribbean and Africa. J Med Entomol 53(3):696–698

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Kasari A, Miller TR, James RS, Freier AMJE (2010) Recognition of the threat of Ehrlichia ruminantium infection in domestic and wild ruminants in the continental United States. J Am Vet Med Assoc 237:520–530

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Walker JB, Olwage A (1987) The tick vectors of Cowdria ruminantium (Ixodoidea, Ixodidae, genus Amblyomma) and their distribution. Onderstepoort J Vet Res 54:353–379

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Dantas-Torres F, Chomel BB, Otranto D (2012) Ticks and tick-borne diseases: a one health perspective. Trends Parasitol 28:437–446. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pt.2012.07.003

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Reeves WK, Loftis AD, Nicholson WL, Czarkowski AG (2008) The first report of human illness associated with the Panola Mountain Ehrlichia species: a case report. J Med Case Rep 2:1–3. https://doi.org/10.1186/1752-1947-2-139

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Allsopp BA (2010) Natural history of Ehrlichia ruminantium. Vet Parasitol 167:123–135. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vetpar.2009.09.014

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Dahmani M, Davoust B, Benterki MS, Fenollar F, Raoult D, Mediannikov O (2015) Development of a new PCR-based assay to detect Anaplasmataceae and the first report of Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Anaplasma platys in cattle from Algeria. Comp Immunol Microbiol Infect Dis 39:39–45. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cimid.2015.02.002

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Provost A (1987) The historical background and global importance of heartwater. Onderstepoort J Vet Res 54:165–169

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Ahmed A, Ijaz M, Ghauri HN, Aziz MU, Ghaffar A, Naveed M, Javed MU (2020) Molecular evidence of Anaplasma infection in naturally affected domestic cats of Pakistan. Comp Immunol Microbiol Infect Dis 72:101524. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cimid.2020.101524

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Ghaffar A, Ijaz M, Ali A, Farooqi SH, Rehman A, Ali MM, Zafar MZ, Naeem MA (2020) First report on molecular characterization of Anaplasmosis in small ruminants in Pakistan. J Parasitol 106:360–368. https://doi.org/10.1645/19-90

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Qurollo BA, Riggins D, Comyn A, Zewde MT, Breitschwerdt EB (2014) Development and validation of a sensitive and specific sodB-based quantitative PCR assay for molecular detection of Ehrlichia species. J Clin Microbiol 52:4030–4032. https://doi.org/10.1128/JCM.02340-14

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  14. Štefko B, Kiráľová R, Mudrík M (2015) M, Strategic marketing communication in pilgrimage tourism. Procedia Soc Behav Sci 175:423–430

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Rehman A, Conraths FJ, Sauter-Louis C, Krücken J, Nijhof AM (2019) Epidemiology of tick-borne pathogens in the semi-arid and the arid agro-ecological zones of Punjab province, Pakistan. Transbound Emerg Dis 66:526–536. https://doi.org/10.1111/tbed.13059

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Abbas G (2015) Lahore canine fever in a racing greyhound. Adv Anim Vet Sci 3(6):332–333

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Farooqi SH, Ijaz M, Rashid MI, Aqib AI, Ahmad Z, Saleem MH, Hussain K, Islam S, Naeem H, Khan A (2017) Molecular epidemiology of Babesia bovis in bovine of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Pak Vet J 37:275–280

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Farooqi SH, Ijaz M, Saleem MH, Rashid MI, Ahmad SS, Islam S, Aqib AI, Khan A, Hussain K, Khan NU (2017) Prevalence and molecular diagnosis of Theileria annulata in bovine from three distincts zones of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan. J Anim Plant Sci 27:1836–1841

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Farooqi SH, Ijaz M, Rashid MI, Nabi H, Islam S, Aqib AI, Hussain K, Khan A, Rizvi SNB, Mahmood S, Mehmood K, Zhang H (2018) Molecular epidemiology of bovine anaplasmosis in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Trop Anim Health Prod 50:1591–1598. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11250-018-1599-2

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Baticados A (2010) Detection of bovine ehrlichiosis in the Philippines by PCR. Online J Vet Res 14:246–252

    Google Scholar 

  21. Aktas M, Altay K, Dumanli N (2011) Molecular detection and identification of Anaplasma and Ehrlichia species in cattle from Turkey. Ticks Tick Borne Dis 2:62–65. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ttbdis.2010.11.002

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Qiu H (2016) Molecular detection of Anaplasma spp. and Ehrlichia spp. in ruminants from twelve provinces of China. Can J Infect Dis Med Microbiol. https://doi.org/10.1155/2016/9183861

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  23. Guo H, Yin C, Galon EM, Du J, Gao Y, Moumouni PFA, Liu M, Efstratiou A, Lee SH, Li J, Ringo AE, Wang G, Li Y, Tumwebaze MA, Xuan X (2018) Molecular survey and characterization of Theileria annulata and Ehrlichia ruminantium in cattle from Northwest China. Parasitol Int 67(6):679–683. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.parint.2018.06.011

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. Peter SG, Gakuya DW, Maingi N, Mulei CM (2019) Prevalence and risk factors associated with Ehrlichia infections in smallholder dairy cattle in Nairobi city county, Kenya. Vet World 12(10):1599–1607

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Swai ES, Mtui PF, Chang’a AK, Machange G (2008) The prevalence of serum antibodies to Ehrlichia ruminantium infection in ranch cattle in Tanzania: a cross-sectional study. J S Afr Vet Assoc 79(2):71–75

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  26. Semu SM, Peter TF, Mukwedeya D, Barbet AF, Jongejan F, Mahan SM (2001) Antibody responses to MAP 1B and other Cowdria ruminantium antigens are down regulated in cattle challenged with tick-transmitted heartwater. Clin Diagn Lab Immunol 8:388–396. https://doi.org/10.1128/CDLI.8.2.388-396.2001

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  27. Matos CA, Gonçalves LR, de Souza Ramos IA, Mendes NS, Zanatto DCS, André MR, Machado RZ (2019) Molecular detection and characterization of Ehrlichia ruminantium from cattle in Mozambique. Acta Trop 191:198–203

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  28. Teshale S, Geysen D, Ameni G, Asfaw Y, Berkvens D (2015) Improved molecular detection of Ehrlichia and Anaplasma species applied to Amblyomma ticks collected from cattle and sheep in Ethiopia. Ticks Tick Borne Dis 6:1–7. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ttbdis.2014.04.023

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  29. Muhanguzi D (2010) Molecular characterization of Anaplasma and Ehrlichia species in different cattle breeds and age groups in Mbarara district (Western Uganda). Int J Anim Vet Adv 2:76–88

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  30. Rajput ZI, Hu SH, Arijo AG, Habib M, Khalid M (2005) Comparative study of Anaplasma parasites in tick carrying buffaloes and cattle. J Zhejiang Univ Sci B 6(11):1057–1062. https://doi.org/10.1631/jzus.2005.B1057

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  31. Milanjeet HS, Singh NK, Singh ND, Singh C, Rath SS (2014) Molecular prevalence and risk factors for the occurrence of canine monocytic ehrlichiosis. Vet Med 59(3):129–136

    Article  Google Scholar 

  32. Mdladla K, Dzomba EF, Muchadeyi FC (2016) Seroprevalence of Ehrlichia ruminantium antibodies and its associated risk factors in indigenous goats of South Africa. Prev Vet Med 125:99–105. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.prevetmed.2016.01.014

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  33. Randolph SE (2004) Tick ecology: Processes and patterns behind the epidemiological risk posed by ixodid ticks as vectors. Parasitology. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0031182004004925

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  34. Kilpatrick AM, Randolph SE (2012) Drivers, dynamics, and control of emerging vector-borne zoonotic diseases. Lancet 380:1946–1955. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(12)61151-9

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  35. De Castro MB, Machado RZ, De Aquino LPCT, Alessi AC, Costa MT (2004) Experimental acute canine monocytic ehrlichiosis: clinicopathological and immunopathological findings. Vet Parasitol 119:73–86. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vetpar.2003.10.012

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  36. Dixit AK, Dixit P, Shukla PC (2012) Canine monocytic ehrlichiosis and its therapeutic management in a dog. Intas Polivet 13:140–141

    Google Scholar 

  37. Oliveira D, Nishimori CT, Costa MT, Machado RZ, Castro MB (2000) Anti-Ehrlichia canis antibodies detection by dot-ELISA in naturally infected dogs. Rev Bras Parasitol Vet 9:1–5

    Google Scholar 

  38. Bharadwaj R (2013) Therapeutic management of acute canine monocytic ehrlichiosis. Indian Vet J 9:138–139

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The authors are thankful to the molecular medicine lab for the provision of the lab facility for the smooth conduct of the research. We are thankful to Dr. Bilal Latif from Case Western Reserve University to recheck the manuscript for the English language.

Funding

No funding was received for this study.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Lahore, 54600, Pakistan

    Muhammad Abdul Basit, Muhammad Ijaz & Jawaria Ali Khan

  2. Department of Parasitology, University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Lahore, 54600, Pakistan

    Kamran Ashraf

  3. Department of Parasitology, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, 38040, Pakistan

    Rao Zahid Abbas

Authors
  1. Muhammad Abdul Basit
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Muhammad Ijaz
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Jawaria Ali Khan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Kamran Ashraf
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Rao Zahid Abbas
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Muhammad Ijaz.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest in the submission/publication of this data.

Ethical approval

The study plan was duly approved by the advanced studies and research board, UVAS Lahore.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Basit, M.A., Ijaz, M., Khan, J.A. et al. Molecular Evidence and Hematological Profile of Bovines Naturally Infected with Ehrlichiosis in Southern Punjab, Pakistan. Acta Parasit. 67, 72–78 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11686-021-00433-0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11686-021-00433-0

Keywords

Search

Navigation