%0 Journal Article
%T Experimental transmission of Anaplasma marginale by male Dermacentor reticulatus
%A Zorica Zivkovic
%A Ard M Nijhof
%A Jos¨¦ de la Fuente
%A Katherine M Kocan
%A Frans Jongejan
%J BMC Veterinary Research
%D 2007
%I BioMed Central
%R 10.1186/1746-6148-3-32
%X Male D. reticulatus were allowed to feed for 7 days on a calf persistently infected with a Zaria isolate of A. marginale, after which they were removed and held off-host for 7 days. The ticks were then allowed to feed a second time for 7 days on a susceptible tick-na£¿ve calf. Infection of calf No. 4291 was detected 20 days post exposure (p.i.) and confirmed by msp4 PCR. Thirty percent of the dissected acquisition fed ticks was infected. In addition, A. marginale colonies were detected by light microscopy in the salivary glands of the acquisition fed ticks. Transmission of A. marginale to calf No. 9191 was confirmed by examination of Giemsa-stained blood smears and msp4 PCR. Ticks were dissected after transmission feeding and presence of A. marginale was confirmed in 18.5% of the dissected ticks.This study demonstrates that D. reticulatus males are competent vectors of A. marginale. Further studies are needed to confirm the vector competency of D. reticulatus for other A. marginale strains from geographic areas in Europe.Bovine anaplasmosis is one of the most important tick-borne diseases of ruminants worldwide. The disease is caused by infection of cattle with the obligate intraerythrocytic bacteria Anaplasma marginale which is classified in the family Anaplasmataceae, order Rickettsiales [1]. The acute phase of the bovine anaplasmosis is characterized by anemia, icterus, weight loss, fever, abortion, decreased milk production and often results in death [2]. Animals surviving the acute phase develop a lifelong persistent infection and can serve as reservoirs for mechanical transmission and biological transmission by ticks [3].Anaplasmosis is endemic in tropical and sub-tropical regions where the disease constitutes a constraint to the cattle production. In Europe anaplasmosis is endemic in several Mediterranean countries including Italy [4,5], Portugal [6] and Spain [7], and has occasionally been reported in Austria [8], Switzerland [9] and Hungary [10]. Mechanical
%U http://www.biomedcentral.com/1746-6148/3/32