Prevalence of Anaplasma marginale in different tick species from Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania.
In 2001, Ngorongoro Crater was infested with high density of ticks on grassland, livestock and wildlife which was also associated with high mortality. Adult ticks were collected, identified, processed for nucleic acids extraction and a molecular analysis was performed to determine the range of tick species harboring Anaplasma marginale. The real-time PCR was used in the amplification of rickettsia DNA in tick pools (n=527) from 11 identified tick species. Six tick species were detected with A. marginale DNA including Amblyomma gemma, Rhipicephalus appendiculatus, R. compositus, R.decoloratus, R. praetextatus and R. pulchellus. The detection rate in each tick species was 3%, 0.7%, 2%, 13%, 1.8%, and 6.2%, respectively. Five of the positive tick species excluding R.decoloratus have previously not been described to transmit A. marginale. High diversity of tick species detected with A. marginale in Ngorongoro Crater is likely to increase a risk to susceptible animals of contracting the infection.
Fyumagwa
Robert D
RD
Tanzania Wildlife Research Institute (TAWIRI) Wildlife Veterinary Programme, P.O. Box 661, Arusha, Tanzania. rfyumagwa@yahoo.com
Simmler
Pascale
P
Meli
Marina L
ML
Hoare
Richard
R
Hofmann-Lehmann
Regina
R
Lutz
Hans
H
D042322:Anaplasma marginale / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D000712:Anaplasmosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology*; D000818:Animals; D000835:Animals, Wild; D002417:Cattle; D002418:Cattle Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology; D016054:DNA, Protozoan / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004196:Disease Outbreaks / Q000662:veterinary; D015995:Prevalence; D013636:Tanzania / Q000453:epidemiology; D013987:Ticks / Q000469:parasitology*
D016054:DNA, Protozoan