Molecular Identification of Babesia and Theileria Infections in Livestock in the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau Area, China
Author:
Ma Yihong1, Jian Yingna2, Wang Geping2, Li Xiuping2, Wang Guanghua2, Hu Yong2, Yokoyama Naoaki1, Ma Liqing2ORCID, Xuan Xuenan1ORCID
Affiliation:
1. National Research Center for Protozoan Diseases, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Inada-cho, Obihiro 080-8555, Japan 2. Qinghai Academy of Animal Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, Centre for Biomedicine and Infectious Diseases, Qinghai University, Xining 810016, China
Abstract
The northwestern region of China, known as the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau Area (QTPA), is characterized by unique climate conditions that support the breeding of various highly-adapted livestock species. Tick vectors play a significant role in transmitting Babesia and Theileria species, posing serious risks to animal health as well as the economy of animal husbandry in QTPA. A total of 366 blood samples were collected from Tibetan sheep (n = 51), goats (n = 67), yaks (n = 43), cattle (n = 49), Bactrian camels (n = 50), horses (n = 65), and donkeys (n = 40). These samples were examined using conventional and nested PCR techniques to detect Theileria and Babesia species. The overall infection rates were 0.3% (1/366) for Babesia spp. and 38.2% (140/366) for Theileria spp. Notably, neither Babesia nor Theileria species were detected in donkeys and yaks. The infection rates of Babesia and Theileria species among animals in different prefectures were significantly different (p < 0.05). Furthermore, Babesia bovis, B. bigemina, B. caballi, and B. ovis were not detected in the current study. To our knowledge, this is the first documented detection of Theileria luwenshuni infection in Bactrian camels and goats, as well as T. sinesis in cattle and T. equi in horses on the Qinghai plateau. These novel findings shed light on the distribution of Babesia and Theileria species among livestock species in QTPA.
Funder
Transformation of Scientific and Technological Achievements of Qinghai Province Agriculture Research System of China National Foreign Experts Program of China AMED project Strategic International Collaborative Research Project
Subject
General Veterinary,Animal Science and Zoology
Reference38 articles.
1. Tang, W., Zhou, T., Sun, J., Li, Y., and Li, W. (2017). Accelerated urban expansion in Lhasa city and the implications for sustainable development in a plateau city. Sustainability, 9. 2. The yak grazing system on the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau and its status;Long;Rangeland J.,2008 3. Why ‘the uplift of the Tibetan plateau’ is a myth?;Spicer;Natl. Sci. Rev.,2020 4. Seroepidemiology of neosporosis in various animals in the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau;Qi;Front. Vet. Sci.,2022 5. Prosser, D.J., Cui, P., Takekawa, J.Y., Tang, M., Hou, Y., Collins, B.M., Yan, B., Hill, N.J., Li, T., and Li, Y. (2011). Wild bird migration across the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau: A transmission route for highly pathogenic H5N1. PLoS ONE, 6.
|
|