Babesiosis, theileriosis, anaplasmosis, and heartwater are tick-borne diseases that threaten livestock production in sub-Saharan Africa including Burkina Faso and Benin. For over a decade, these two bordering countries have been facing an invasion of the livestock by the tick Rhipicephalus microplus, a major vector for babesiosis, accidentally introduced in Benin in 2004. The molecular identification of tick-borne pathogens in this border area is of particular interest due to animals seasonal migration between the two countries. In this survey, epidemiological features of ticks and tick-borne pathogens in cattle were investigated to compare the eastern Burkina Faso, corresponding to a seasonal migration departure zone, and the northern Benin, which represents a seasonal migration arrival zone. Ticks and peripheral blood were collected from a total of 946 cattle in the two areas. Ticks were morphologically identified and the DNA samples from bovine blood and ticks were analysed by Reverse Line Blot (RLB) hybridization process. A total of 2856 ticks were collected on 490 cattle in Burkina Faso, eight tick species were identified, while 3583 ticks were collected on 456 cattle in North Benin with nine tick species identified. The invasive tick, R. microplus was not found in eastern Burkina Faso, but its spread farthest north in Benin is reported. Six tick-borne pathogen species were found in cattle blood both in eastern Burkina Faso and in northern Benin. Ranked in decreasing order of overall prevalences, they are: Theileria mutans (91.1%), Theileria velifera (77.8%), Babesia bigemina (10.9%), Anaplasma marginale (4.2%), Babesia bovis (3.3%), and Theileria annulata (1.8%). To the best of our knowledge, this survey represents the first report of T. velifera and T. annulata in the region. Overall, the TBP prevalences were significantly higher in northern Benin than in eastern Burkina Faso, indicating a higher parasitological risk in this area.

The molecular identification of arboviruses in West Africa is of particular interest, due to their zoonotic potential in a population living in close contact with livestock, and in a region where the livestock migration across borders raises the risk of diseases infection and dissemination. The aim of the study was the screening of potential circulating arboviruses and the assessment of their zoonotic implications. Therefore, ticks were collected on cattle located in three provinces of eastern Burkina Faso. Tick pools were tested using a panel of genus-specific real-time assays targeting conserved regions of parapoxvirus, orthopoxvirus, flavivirus and phlebovirus. On the 26 farms visited, a total of 663 ticks were collected. Four genera and six tick species were morphologically identified, with Amblyomma variegatum and Hyalomma spp. being the most represented species. No arboviruses were found. However, this study highlights the presence of pseudocowpox virus (8.2%) and bovine papular stomatitis virus (5.8%) among the positive tick pools. BPSV positive ticks were found in herds sharing water and pastures resources and with a history of seasonal transhumance. Therefore, common grazing and the seasonal transhumance are likely to support the transmission of the virus. This could have important health and economic impacts, especially regarding transboundary cattle movements.

Article type : Original Article First digital characterization of the transhumance corridors through Benin used by cattle herds from Burkina Faso and associated risk scoring regarding the invasion of Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus