title: No detection of Besnoitia besnoiti DNA in the semen of chronically infected bulls.
abstract: Bovine besnoitiosis is a chronic and debilitating disease observed in many European countries that may cause important economic losses in cattle. The recent widespread of the parasite in Europe had led the European Food Safety Authority to declare bovine besnoitiosis as a re-emerging disease in Europe. Many aspects of the epidemiology of bovine besnoitiosis such as the main routes of transmission are still unclear and need to be further studied. Among the different hypotheses, a sexual transmission has not yet been investigated. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the presence of Besnoitia besnoiti DNA in the semen of naturally infected bulls by using a highly sensitive method (real-time qPCR). Both pre-sperm and sperm fractions of 40 bulls, including seronegative (n = 11), seropositive subclinically (n = 17), and seropositive clinically (n = 12) infected animals, were collected by electroejaculation and analyzed by real-time qPCR. No B. besnoiti DNA was detected in 27 pre-sperm and 28 sperm fractions of the 40 examined bulls, suggesting that the transmission of B. besnoiti infection by the semen of chronically infected bulls is very unlikely.
authors.affiliation: Animal Pathology Department, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences, University of Zaragoza, Miguel Servet 177, 50013, Zaragoza, Spain.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Esteban-Gil
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Grisez
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Prevot
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Florentin
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Decaudin
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Picard-Hagen
authors.forename: X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Berthelot
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ronsin
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Alzieu
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Marois
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Corboz
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Peglion
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Vilardell
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Liénard
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bouhsira
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Castillo
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Franc
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Jacquiet
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D002418:Cattle Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000469:parasitology*; D003048:Coccidiosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000662:veterinary*; D016054:DNA, Protozoan / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D008297:Male; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods / Q000662:veterinary; D021745:Sarcocystidae / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D012661:Semen / Q000469:parasitology*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
chemical_list: D016054:DNA, Protozoan