Serological and molecular surveys of <i>Babesia bovis</i> and <i>Babesia bigemina</i> among native cattle and cattle imported from Thailand in Hue, Vietnam

• DOI: 10.1292/jvms.17-0549
• Publication Date: 2017-12-14T22:10:01Z
• Authors: Thillaiampalam SI...; Dinh Thi Bich LAN; Phung Thang LONG; Le Quoc VIET; Gayani WEERASOORIYA; Aiko KUME; Keisuke SUGANUMA; Ikuo IGARASHI; Naoaki YOKOYAMA
• Keywords: 0301 basic medicine; 2. Zero hunger; Babesia; Cattle Diseases; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; DNA, Protozoan; Thailand; Polymerase Chain Reaction; 3. Good health; 03 medical and health sciences; Vietnam; Seroepidemiologic Studies; Babesiosis; Babesia bovis; Animals; Parasitology; Cattle; Abattoirs

Serum and DNA from blood samples collected from Vietnamese yellow cattle (n=101) and cattle imported from Thailand (n=54) at a Vietnamese slaughter house were screened for Babesia bovis and Babesia bigemina infections by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and PCR. The positive rates determined by ELISA (B. bovis and B. bigemina) or PCR (B. bigemina) in the Vietnamese cattle were significantly higher than those found in Thai cattle. Some PCR-positive Vietnamese animals were ELISA-negative, whereas all PCR-positive Thai cattle were ELISA-positive, suggesting that the animals were infected in Thailand. Importing Babesia-infected cattle may lead to the introduction of new parasite strains, possibly compromising the development of anti-Babesia immune control strategies in Vietnam.