RESUMEN
Background: Bovine besnoitiosis is a widespread disease caused by Besnoitia besnoiti with significant economic losses in cattle production. There is a lack of knowledge about it in Egypt. Aim: This study was conducted to detect the seroprevalence of B. besnoiti in cattle and to find out the presence of the disease and the most important symptoms of besnoitiosis in cattle in Assiut Governorate, Egypt. Methods: A total of 190 cattle from Assiut city and its different rural centers were examined clinically and serologically for the presence of B. besnoiti. The serological examination was carried out by using the indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit in serum (ID.Vet Innovative Diagnostics Louis Pasteur. Grabeis, France). The results were analyzed statistically using the chi-square test to assess the association between seroprevalence and different parameters (age, sex, season, housing, and health status). Result: Thirteen cattle were seropositive for B. besnoiti by ELISA and showed symptoms of besnoitiosis. Acute symptoms included fever, tachycardia, edematous swellings of intermandibular space and limbs with polyarthritis, diarrhea, ruminal atony, and enlarged lymph nodes. The chronic symptoms included cough, mastitis, exophthalmia, cysts on the sclera and conjunctiva, nodules in the skin, and alopecia associated with tick infestation. The overall seroprevalence of B. besnoiti was 22.1%. Regarding sex, the seroprevalence was higher for females 34.6% than for males 6.97%. While, according to age susceptibility, the seroprevalence was highest (50.9%) with age ≥5 years, followed by age >1 to <5 years (14.6%), and only one animal of age ≤1 year was recorded at 2.2%. Concerning seasonal variations, the seroprevalence was highest in spring 42.9%, followed by autumn 29.3%, winter 13.6%, and summer 7.5%. Whereas, according to the housing system, it was 60% and 8.6% in farm and household rearing, respectively. Depending on the health status, the seroprevalence was 21.6% of clinically healthy and 23.2% of clinically diseased cattle. Conclusion: The existence of B. besnoiti antibodies has been demonstrated in clinical and subclinical infected cattle in Assiut Governorate, Egypt. The ELISA test is considered to be a good diagnostic method for detecting infection. Furthermore, additional studies are essential to minimize and prevent the spread of infection.
Asunto(s)
Enfermedades de los Bovinos , Coccidiosis , Sarcocystidae , Femenino , Masculino , Animales , Bovinos , Besnoitia , Estudios Seroepidemiológicos , Egipto/epidemiología , Enfermedades de los Bovinos/epidemiología , Coccidiosis/epidemiología , Coccidiosis/veterinariaRESUMEN
INTRODUCTION: Camel trade in Egypt depends mainly on importation. Seemingly healthy imported camels are responsible for the ingress of serious diseases into Egypt. A striking example of this concerning public health globally is the Middle East respiratory coronavirus (MERS-CoV) which causes case fatalities of over 34%. Here, we determined the seroepidemiological situation of the MERS-CoV in imported camels and their traders in Upper Egypt. METHODOLOGY: Sera of sixty-three dromedaries and twenty-eight camel traders were recruited (January 2015-December 2016). The age, gender, and sampling locality of each sampled camel and human were obtained. Semi-quantitative anti-MERS-CoV IgG ELISAs which utilize the purified spike protein domain S1 antigen of MERS coronavirus (MERS-CoV S1) were used to detect specific IgG antibodies against the virus. RESULTS: The data showed that 58.73% of imported camels and 25% of traders had antibodies specific to MERS-CoV. Interestingly, like seroreactive camels, all seropositive humans were apparently healthy without any history of developing severe respiratory disease in the 14 days prior to sampling. Having specific antibodies among the examined camel sera was significantly different (P < 0.0001) in relation to various sampling localities, gender and age groups. In contrast, the seropositivity rate of MERS-CoV IgG in humans did not differ significantly by any of the studied factors. CONCLUSIONS: The current study provides the first serological evidence of occupational exposure of humans to MERS-CoV in Africa. Additionally, it reports that imported camels could be implicated in introducing MERS-CoV into Egypt. Accordingly, application of strict control measures to camel importation is a priority.