Background and Objective: Tick-borne hemoparasitic illnesses pose a serious threat to the well-being and productivity of cattle. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of tick-borne hemoparasites in Cameroon, ...Background and Objective: Tick-borne hemoparasitic illnesses pose a serious threat to the well-being and productivity of cattle. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of tick-borne hemoparasites in Cameroon, with a specific focus on the Noun and Nde Divisions of the West Region. Methodology: A total of 423 cattle from 10 villages in both divisions were included in the study. Blood smears were prepared and subjected to microscopic screening for Babesia and Anaplasma parasites. Results: The prevalence of Anaplasma was found to be 23.4%, while Babesia exhibited a seroprevalence of 17.3%. Samples from Institute of Agricultural Research for Development (IRAD) and Koupa Ngangnou demonstrated significantly higher prevalence rates, potentially influenced by climate variations affecting tick populations. Additionally, 17.3% of the animals exhibited low hematocrit levels, indicative of anemia. No significant associations were observed between the presence of hemoparasite infection and cattle characteristics. Conclusion: This study provides fundamental data on the extensive distribution and impact of tick-borne hemoparasites in a significant cattle-producing region of Cameroon.展开更多
We conducted a cross-sectional study to establish the effect of proximity of livestock to a wildlife-livestock interface on the relative abundance of intra-erythrocytic hemoparasites in cattle. Blood samples were obta...We conducted a cross-sectional study to establish the effect of proximity of livestock to a wildlife-livestock interface on the relative abundance of intra-erythrocytic hemoparasites in cattle. Blood samples were obtained from 131 randomlyselected cattle raised around Queen Elizabeth National Park. Cattle-farm location was determined by using Global Positioning System device from an arbitrarily reference point. Giemsa-stained blood smears were examined microscopically for intra-erythrocytic hemoparasites. Correlational analysis was used to examine the relationship between farm location and prevalence, whereas risk ratios were used to determine the strength of mixed hemoparasitic infections among cattle, using a significant level of α = 0.05. The location of a cattle farm significantly predicted the prevalence of Anaplasma (rs = 0.33, p 0.05) and Theileria (rs = 0.57, p 0.01) but, farm’s proximity to QENP did not explain the variation in the prevalence of Babesia (rs = 0.14, p 0.2). Although mixed infections occurred in 15% of sampled cattle, concurrent infection of cattle with A. marginale and B. bigemina [RR = 36;95% CI (7.191);p which was recorded. This study demonstrated that unlike the prevalence of B. bigemina, the prevalence of T. parva and A. marginale in livestock significantly increased with close proximity to a wildlife-livestock interface.展开更多
Background:Ecological functions and processes in urban ecosystems are governed by various human activities.City-adapted and city-exploiting animal species are expected to present certain specific behavioral and physio...Background:Ecological functions and processes in urban ecosystems are governed by various human activities.City-adapted and city-exploiting animal species are expected to present certain specific behavioral and physiological traits in comparison to city-avoiders or conspecific individual frequenting less urbanized or rural environments.A trait of high importance,the plumage color polymorphism has been selected as the main study model and was correlated with different morphological and physiological parameters to highlight its importance in determining the possible health status of urban Feral Pigeons(Columba livia)in North African urban habitats.Methods:Different body morphometrics,hematological and hemoparasitic parameters were quantified on freeliving Feral Pigeons in urban environments of northern Algeria.Moreover,plumage melanin-based coloration(MBC)was measured and the data collected at the individual scale was correlated with the previous parameters using linear and non-linear modeling approaches.Results:Plumage MBC scores of the sampled Feral Pigeons ranged between 0.3%and 74.8%.Among the 12 morphological traits measured,body weight,tail length and total length were deemed to be positively correlated with MBC.Darker morphs appeared to have more hemoparasites compared to lighter pigeons.Quite the same observation goes with the immunity but with non-linear trends.The number of monocytes and granulocytes increased with the increase in MBC levels in lighter morphs,while pigeons with high MBC scores exhibited negative relationships between MBC levels and the number of white blood cells.Conclusions:Despite the existence of a number of studies demonstrating phenotypic directional selection,further studies are undoubtedly necessary to understand in detail the underlying mechanisms in species life-history strategies between differently colored individuals.Findings of this correlative study open exciting perspectives revealing that MBC can be considered a good indicator of and health status and adaptation strategies to changes in urban environments.展开更多
文摘Background and Objective: Tick-borne hemoparasitic illnesses pose a serious threat to the well-being and productivity of cattle. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of tick-borne hemoparasites in Cameroon, with a specific focus on the Noun and Nde Divisions of the West Region. Methodology: A total of 423 cattle from 10 villages in both divisions were included in the study. Blood smears were prepared and subjected to microscopic screening for Babesia and Anaplasma parasites. Results: The prevalence of Anaplasma was found to be 23.4%, while Babesia exhibited a seroprevalence of 17.3%. Samples from Institute of Agricultural Research for Development (IRAD) and Koupa Ngangnou demonstrated significantly higher prevalence rates, potentially influenced by climate variations affecting tick populations. Additionally, 17.3% of the animals exhibited low hematocrit levels, indicative of anemia. No significant associations were observed between the presence of hemoparasite infection and cattle characteristics. Conclusion: This study provides fundamental data on the extensive distribution and impact of tick-borne hemoparasites in a significant cattle-producing region of Cameroon.
文摘We conducted a cross-sectional study to establish the effect of proximity of livestock to a wildlife-livestock interface on the relative abundance of intra-erythrocytic hemoparasites in cattle. Blood samples were obtained from 131 randomlyselected cattle raised around Queen Elizabeth National Park. Cattle-farm location was determined by using Global Positioning System device from an arbitrarily reference point. Giemsa-stained blood smears were examined microscopically for intra-erythrocytic hemoparasites. Correlational analysis was used to examine the relationship between farm location and prevalence, whereas risk ratios were used to determine the strength of mixed hemoparasitic infections among cattle, using a significant level of α = 0.05. The location of a cattle farm significantly predicted the prevalence of Anaplasma (rs = 0.33, p 0.05) and Theileria (rs = 0.57, p 0.01) but, farm’s proximity to QENP did not explain the variation in the prevalence of Babesia (rs = 0.14, p 0.2). Although mixed infections occurred in 15% of sampled cattle, concurrent infection of cattle with A. marginale and B. bigemina [RR = 36;95% CI (7.191);p which was recorded. This study demonstrated that unlike the prevalence of B. bigemina, the prevalence of T. parva and A. marginale in livestock significantly increased with close proximity to a wildlife-livestock interface.
基金supported by the DGRSDT and MESRS(Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research of Algeria)。
文摘Background:Ecological functions and processes in urban ecosystems are governed by various human activities.City-adapted and city-exploiting animal species are expected to present certain specific behavioral and physiological traits in comparison to city-avoiders or conspecific individual frequenting less urbanized or rural environments.A trait of high importance,the plumage color polymorphism has been selected as the main study model and was correlated with different morphological and physiological parameters to highlight its importance in determining the possible health status of urban Feral Pigeons(Columba livia)in North African urban habitats.Methods:Different body morphometrics,hematological and hemoparasitic parameters were quantified on freeliving Feral Pigeons in urban environments of northern Algeria.Moreover,plumage melanin-based coloration(MBC)was measured and the data collected at the individual scale was correlated with the previous parameters using linear and non-linear modeling approaches.Results:Plumage MBC scores of the sampled Feral Pigeons ranged between 0.3%and 74.8%.Among the 12 morphological traits measured,body weight,tail length and total length were deemed to be positively correlated with MBC.Darker morphs appeared to have more hemoparasites compared to lighter pigeons.Quite the same observation goes with the immunity but with non-linear trends.The number of monocytes and granulocytes increased with the increase in MBC levels in lighter morphs,while pigeons with high MBC scores exhibited negative relationships between MBC levels and the number of white blood cells.Conclusions:Despite the existence of a number of studies demonstrating phenotypic directional selection,further studies are undoubtedly necessary to understand in detail the underlying mechanisms in species life-history strategies between differently colored individuals.Findings of this correlative study open exciting perspectives revealing that MBC can be considered a good indicator of and health status and adaptation strategies to changes in urban environments.
