Theileria annulata
is the cause of tropical theileriosis in cattle in Pakistan, where it has a significant impact on the cattle industry. Here we report the molecular detection and seasonal ...prevalence and blood parameters of
T. annulata
infection in crossbred, Holstein Frisian and Sahiwal breed in Layyah District in the Punjab. In total, 844 blood samples (cross = 244, Holstein Frisian = 300, Sahiwal breed = 300) collected in 2017 and 2018 were tested. Blood smear screening revealed 125/844 (15%) of cattle positive for
Theileria
species. PCR amplification of cytochrome b gene indicated an overall
T. annulata
prevalence of 21% (174/844). The highest prevalence was observed in autumn season (53%), followed by winter (20%), summer (14%) and spring (3%). Crossbred cattle were the most susceptible to
T. annulata
(28%) followed by Sahiwal (19%) and Holstein Frisian. Representative partial cytochrome b gene sequences of
T. annulata
revealed phylogenetic similarities with sequences submitted from India, Iran, China, Turkey and Spain. Small numbers of ticks, including
Hyalomma anatolicum
,
Hyalomma excavatum
,
Rhipicephalus microplus
, and
Haemaphysalis punctata
, were identified from cattle but none of them was found PCR positive for the presence of
T. annulata
. Analysis of the hematology data indicated that red blood cell, hemoglobin, mean cell hemoglobin, mean corpuscular hemoglobin, lymphocyte (%), monocyte (%) and platelet count were significantly altered in
T. annulata
-positive cattle of all three breeds. Screening of cattle by PCR for the detection of
T. annulata
is recommended for diagnosis and treatment.
Theileria ovis
and
Anaplasma marginale
are intracellular pathogens affecting a wide range of animals, causing huge economic losses worldwide. The present study reports the molecular evidence of
...Theileria ovis
and
Anaplasma marginale
in sheep blood samples (
N
= 218) collected from Layyah district in Punjab (Pakistan), where economy heavily relies on livestock. A 520 base pair fragment specific for 18S ribosomal RNA gene of
Theileria ovis
was PCR amplified in 23/218 (10.6%) sheep blood samples, while for
Anaplasma marginale
, a 265 base pair fragment specific for
msp1b
gene was generated in 15/218 (6.9%) sheep blood samples. Two blood samples were found co-infected (0.9%) with both parasites. Amplified PCR products of both parasites were confirmed by DNA sequencing and submitted to GenBank. Prevalence of both
Theileria ovis
(
p
= 0.3) and
Anaplasma marginale
(
p
= 0.4) varied non-significantly among the investigated sheep breeds. Tick burden on dogs present with sheep herds was found associated with
Theileria ovis
infection in sheep (
p
= 0.05). It was observed that lambs (
p
= 0.009), sheep in small herds (
p
= 0.04), and tick burden on dogs present with sheep herds (
p
= 0.01) were associated with
Anaplasma marginale
infection in sheep during the present study. In conclusion, we are reporting a higher prevalence of
Theileria ovis
than
Anaplasma marginale
in blood samples of sheep collected from Layyah district. Tick-infested dogs were found to be risk factors for the transmission of both pathogens in sheep, and tick control strategies should be extended to dogs associated with sheep herds in this area.
Anaplasma marginale (A. marginale), Anaplasma ovis (A. ovis) and Theileria ovis (T. ovis) are among the most commonly reported intracellular tick borne pathogens that infect ruminants across the ...globe causing huge economic losses. This study aims to report the prevalence and phylogenetic evaluation of these three pathogens infecting sheep and goats (n = 333) that were enrolled from Fort Munro region in Pakistan by using msp1b, msp4 and 18S rRNA genes for A. marginale, A. ovis and T. ovis respectively. Results revealed almost similar infection rates in sheep and goats with an overall prevalence of 11% for A. marginale, 28% for A. ovis and 3% for T. ovis. Concurrent infection was also recorded, however, the number of animals infected with two pathogens (n = 24; 7.2%) was higher than infection with three pathogens (n = 2; 0.6%). Risk factor analysis revealed that sheep reared in small herds had higher A. marginale (P = 0.03) and A. ovis (P = 0.04) infection rates compared to those from large herds. In addition, it was observed that bucks (P less than or equal to 0.05) and tick-free goats (P less than or equal to 0.05) exhibited higher A. ovis infection rates than nannies. Phylogenetic analysis of all three pathogens showed that Pakistani isolates were clustered together and were closely related to previously deposited Pakistani isolates as well as with those that were reported from worldwide countries. In conclusion, we are reporting that Pakistani sheep and goats have A. marginale, A. ovis and T. ovis mediated infections and control measures should be taken against them to improve the productivity of the livestock sector.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Fanconi anemia (FA) genes play important roles in spermatogenesis. In mice, disruption of Fancm impairs male fertility and testicular integrity, but whether FANCM pathogenic variants (PV) similarly ...affect fertility in men is unknown. Here we characterize a Pakistani family having three infertile brothers, two manifesting oligoasthenospermia and one exhibiting azoospermia, born to first-cousin parents. A homozygous PV in FANCM (c.1946_1958del, p.P648Lfs*16) was found cosegregating with male infertility. Our objective is to validate that FANCM p.P648Lfs*16 is the PV causing infertility in this family.
Exome and Sanger sequencing were used for PV screening. DNA interstrand crosslink (ICL) sensitivity was assessed in lymphocytes from patients. A mouse model carrying a PV nearly equivalent to that in the patients (FancmΔC/ΔC) was generated, followed by functional analysis in spermatogenesis.
The loss-of-function FANCM PV increased ICL sensitivity in lymphocytes of patients and FancmΔC/ΔC spermatogonia. Adult FancmΔC/ΔC mice showed spermatogenic failure, with germ cell loss in 50.2% of testicular tubules and round-spermatid maturation arrest in 43.5% of tubules. In addition, neither bone marrow failure nor cancer/tumor was detected in all the patients or adult FancmΔC/ΔC mice.
These findings revealed male infertility to be a novel phenotype of human patients with a biallelic FANCM PV.
Caprine theileriosis, caused by Theileria ovis is a serious production issue, especially in the areas that depend on goats and sheep for milk, meat, and other economic benefits. Pakistan has a large ...goat population, but few reports have been documented from this country regarding PCR-based detection of T. ovis. The molecular prevalence of T. ovis, on a seasonal basis, in various goat breeds enrolled from Muzaffar Garh district of Punjab in Pakistan was determined from October 2018 to September 2019. In this study, 1084 goat blood samples were screened for the detection of T. ovis DNA through PCR-based amplification of 18S rRNA gene. Out of 1084 goats, 12 (1.11%) were infected with T. ovis. The parasite prevalence varied with the sampling seasons (Chi square test, P = 0.008), and the parasite prevalence was highest in goat blood samples collected in summer (2.39%) followed by winter (1.88%). DNA sequencing and BLAST analysis confirmed the presence of T. ovis, and the amplified isolates from the 18S rRNA gene of T. ovis were found to be highly conserved during phylogenetic analysis. Young goats (Fischer exact test, P = 0.022) were found more infected with T. ovis during the winter season. Infected goats had elevated white blood cell counts (Two-sample t-test, P = 0.04), blood urea nitrogen to Creatinine ratio (Two-sample t-test, P = 0.02) and decreased serum Creatinine (Two-sample t-test, P = 0.001) as compared to T. ovis negative goats. We report a relatively low molecular prevalence of T. ovis in goats from the Muzaffar Garh district. However, it is recommended that control measures to eradicate T. ovis infection in goats in this area should be taken.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
This study investigates the molecular prevalence and phylogenetic characteristics of two prominent blood-borne pathogens, Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) and Plasmodium spp., in common quails (Coturnix ...coturnix) sampled from both wild (N = 236) and farmed (N = 197) populations across four districts (Layyah, Dera Ghazi Khan, Lahore, and Multan) in Punjab, Pakistan, during the hunting seasons from 2021 to 2023. Additionally, the impact of these pathogens on the complete blood count (CBC) of the hosts is examined. Out of 433 quails tested, 25 (5.8%) exhibited amplification of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS-1) gene for T. gondii, while 15 (3.5%) showed amplification of the Cytochrome b gene for Plasmodium spp. A risk factor analysis indicated that the prevalence of both pathogens was not confined to specific sampling sites or bird sexes (P > 0.05). District-wise analysis highlighted that hens were more susceptible to both T. gondii and Plasmodium spp. infections than cocks. Wild quails exhibited a higher susceptibility to T. gondii compared to farmed birds. Significant CBC variations were recorded in infected birds as compared to uninfected ones. BLAST analysis of generated sequences has confirmed the identity of recovered PCR amplicons as T. gondii and Plasmodium relictum. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that Pakistani isolates clustered with those reported from various countries globally. This study provides the first documentation of T. gondii and Plasmodium sp. infections in Pakistani quails, underscoring the need for detailed investigations across different regions to enhance our understanding of infection rates and the zoonotic potential of these parasites.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Anaplasmosis is a tick-borne disease caused by obligate intercellular gram-negative bacteria,
Anaplasma
(
A.
)
marginale.
The present study reports on seasonal prevalence, epidemiology, and phylogeny ...of
A. marginale
in three cattle breeds from District Layyah, Southern Punjab, Pakistan. A total of 844 blood samples (Cross = 300, Holstein Friesian = 244, Sahiwal breed = 300) from apparently healthy cattle on seasonal basis were collected along with epidemiological data during May 2018 till April 2019. Polymerase chain reaction generated 265 base-pair amplicon specific for major surface protein-1b encoding gene of
A. marginale
in 8.6% (73/844) of enrolled cattle. The highest prevalence was observed during autumn (18.3%) followed by summer (9.7%) and winter season (7.1%). Holstein Friesian breed was most susceptible to
A. marginale
infection (13.1%) followed by Sahiwal (7.6%) and cross breed (6%). Representative amplified partial gene sequences of
A. marginale
were submitted to GenBank (Accession numbers MK032842 and MK032843). 37/844 (4.3%) Giemsa-stained blood smears were found positive for
Anaplasma
spp. Small number of ticks including
Hyalomma anatolicum
,
Hyalomma
excavatum,
Rhipicephalus microplus, Haemaphysalis punctata
were identified from cattle but none of them was found PCR positive for the presence of
A. marginale.
Analysis of epidemiological factors revealed that female cattle and farm with water supply from pool, farms where other dairy animals and dogs were living with cattle and dogs having ticks load on them had significant association with
A. marginale
prevalence. It was observed that white blood cell, lymphocytes (%), monocytes (%) hematocrit, mean corpuscular hemoglobin, and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration were significantly disturbed in
A. marginale
-positive than negative cattle.
PDF
