Anaplasmosis in Uganda. II. Prevalence of bovine anaplasmosis in Uganda.
The prevalence of bovine anaplasmosis was studied in 320 Zebu cattle randomly selected from three regions of Uganda: (Central, Southwestern and Northwestern) using dot-ELISA, Western immunoblotting, rapid card agglutination test (RCAT), capillary tube agglutination test (CAT), complement fixation test (CFT), and parasitological techniques. Dried blood on Whatman filter paper No. 1 was eluted in PBS 0.05% Tween 20 prior to testing at an initial dilution of 1:25. The prevalences of parasitaemia were 25% in the central region, 28% in the southwestern region, and 35% in the northwestern region, and the serological prevalence was lowest in the central region and highest in the northwest. Overall, prevalence rates obtained by dot-ELISA (61.9%) and Western immunoblotting (62.5%) were 1.5 times those obtained by RCAT (41%) and three times those obtained by CAT (22.5%). The overall prevalence rates obtained by dot-ELISA and Western immunoblotting compared favourably with the CFT data. The present data utilizing dried blood on filter papers indicate that there is a high prevalence of anaplasmosis in those regions of Uganda surveyed, and confirm our observations and those of others that collecting blood on filter papers is a suitable technique for large scale screening and for seroepidemiological studies.
Ssenyonga
G S
GS
Makerere University, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kampala, Uganda.
Kakoma
I
I
Montenegro-James
S
S
Nyeko
P J
PJ
Buga
R
R
D000372:Agglutination Tests / Q000662:veterinary; D000712:Anaplasmosis / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000469:parasitology; D000818:Animals; D015153:Blotting, Western / Q000662:veterinary; D002417:Cattle; D002418:Cattle Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000469:parasitology; D003168:Complement Fixation Tests / Q000662:veterinary; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay / Q000662:veterinary; D015995:Prevalence; D014454:Uganda / Q000453:epidemiology