Detection of haemoparasites in cattle by reverse line blot hybridisation with a note on the distribution of ticks in Sicily

K. Georges, G. R. Loria, S. Riili, A. Greco, S. Caracappa, F. Jongejan, O. Sparagano

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

202 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

A reverse line blot hybridisation (RLB) of 21 oligonucleotides with polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplified regions of 16S rRNA (Ehrlichia/Anaplasma group) or 18S rRNA (Babesia/Theileria group) genes of haemoparasites detected Theileria annulata, T. buffeli/orientalis, Babesia bovis, B. bigemina, B. divergens, Ehrlichia bovis, Anaplasma marginale, A. centrale and unknown species within the Rickettsia tribe. A very high prevalence of mixed infections was detected, which indicated that animals infected with Babesia spp. were also infected with Theileria spp. and/or Anaplasma spp. The tick distribution appeared to be seasonal with Hyalomma marginatum as the most frequently observed tick and Boophilus annulatus and Ixodes ricinus as the least frequently observed ticks. Other species identified in the 818 ticks collected during the five sampling periods between April 1998 and November 1999 included H. lusitanicum, Rhipicephalus sanguineus group, R. bursa, Dermacentor marginatus, Haemaphysalis punctata, B. annulatus and I. ricinus.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)273-286
Number of pages14
JournalVeterinary Parasitology
Volume99
Issue number4
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 31 Aug 2001
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Cattle
  • Epidemiology
  • PCR
  • Reverse line blot
  • Sicily
  • Tick-borne diseases
  • Ticks

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Animal Science and Zoology
  • Parasitology
  • veterinary(all)

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Detection of haemoparasites in cattle by reverse line blot hybridisation with a note on the distribution of ticks in Sicily'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this