Background and Aim: Extensive cattle rearing is a major source of economy for the inhabitants of the Amazon region of Peru. Milk and meat production is generally affected by the prevalence of various parasites, including hepatic and gastrointestinal parasites, as these products provide ideal conditions for parasitic growth. This poses a serious public health threat. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence, coinfection, and risk factors associated with the liver fluke (Fasciola hepatica) and other gastrointestinal parasites in cattle from the Amazon region of Peru. Materials and Methods: Fecal samples obtained from 1450 bovine specimens were analyzed using flotation and sedimentation methods to identify parasites, including Eimeria spp., strongyle-type eggs (STEs), and F. hepatica. We collected information about the specimens, including age, sex, origin, breed, category, frequency of deworming, farm size, herd size, water sources, and rearing system by conducting simple inspections and interviewing owners. The data obtained were statistically evaluated using the Chi-square test (p < 0.05) to determine the association between the qualitative variables. We also calculated the odds ratio at a 95% confidence interval to identify the risk factors. Results: We observed that F. hepatica, Eimeria spp., and STEs were 45.6%, 39.8%, and 35.3% prevalent, respectively. We found risk factors related to distomatosis in the animals from Huambo, where the drinking water sources are mainly streams, ditches, and rivers, while the specimens from Valle Chico were predisposed to coccidiosis. Further, the risk factors related to the presence of STEs in feces were age (61–90 months), origin (Valle Chico), herd size (<50 animals), and type of extensive rearing. Furthermore, significant coinfection was observed between Eimeria spp. and STEs. Conclusion: The high percentages of parasites in cattle observed were related to epidemiological factors, such as the origin of the sample, water sources, age, herd size, and extensive breeding. Similarly, the presence of STEs was a risk factor for contracting coccidiosis. Our future goals include investigating these parasites using a larger sample size and identifying more risk factors using more sensitive and specific diagnostic tests. Keywords: cattle, Eimeria spp., Fasciola hepatica, gastrointestinal parasites, prevalence, risk factors.
The implications of bovine leukemia virus (BLV) on innate and adaptive immune responses have been widely investigated; however, the effects of BLV on mammary gland immunity require further investigation. The present study investigated the viability, phagocytic capacity, and intracellular production of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS) by macrophages in milk samples from dairy cows naturally infected with BLV with or without persistent lymphocytosis (PL). No effect of BLV infection in the overall number of macrophages per milliliter and in the percentage of viable macrophages among overall milk viable cells was found. Furthermore, BLV-infected dairy cows had a higher frequency of viable milk macrophages, while healthy animals had a tendency toward a higher percentage of apoptotic milk macrophages. The percentage of milk macrophages that phagocytosed Staphylococcus aureus in seronegative animals was higher than that in BLV-infected dairy cows. No effect of BLV infection on the intracellular RONS production and the intensity of phagocytosis by milk macrophages was observed. Thus, this study provides new insights into the implications of BLV infections in the bovine mammary gland.
The present study explored the predictive values of milk leukocyte differentials (MLD) as a basis for improving the diagnosis of intramammary infections (IMIs) and subclinical mastitis. Quarter milk samples were collected for bacteriological analysis, quarter somatic cell count (qSCC), and MLD. The MLD were assessed using the cytospin technique, direct microscopic smears, and flow cytometry. The predictive values of each single leukocyte population and useful potential indices that could better reflect immune complexity were also calculated. Changes in the percentage of any leukocyte alone failed to substantially improve the predictive value of qSCC in diagnosing IMIs. Although certain parameters increased the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC curve) as a result of increased specificity values, a slight reduction in sensitivity was observed. The so-called CD8 complex was a unique parameter which improved both the sensitivity (78.79 %) and the specificity (80.77 %) in IMI diagnosis, resulting in the highest area under the ROC curve (0.87). To diagnose subclinical mastitis, the percentage of macrophages and the sum of the percentage PMNLs and T CD8 + cells divided by the percentage of macrophages showed the highest predictive values (sensitivity = 79.63, specificity = 73.68, and area under the ROC curve = 0.83) in the differentiation of the inflammatory condition status of cows. In conclusion, this study provides further insights into using T CD8 + lymphocytes in diagnosing bovine IMIs, combined with PMNLs and macrophages. The antidromic trend of macrophages vs. PMNLs and T CD8 + lymphocytes due to the increasing qSCCs was crucial to differentiating quarters under both inflammatory and non-inflammatory conditions.
La Leucosis bovina es causado por un virus de alta morbilidad y baja mortalidad, esta enfermedad afecta directamente al sistema inmune de los hospederos, que provoca una inmunosupresión favoreciendo la replicación de otros agentes patógenos que afectan a nivel productivo y reproductivo en los animales. El objetivo fue determinar la seroprevalencia del virus de Leucosis Bovina (BLV del ingles Bovine Leukosis virus) a través de la metodología de diagnóstico por serología (ELISA), donde se recolectaron 78 muestras de sangre a bovinos en establos lecheros de Chachapoyas y Pomacochas. Se obtuvo una seroprevalencia de 14.1%, siendo el establo de Pomacochas quien presento mayor seropositividad (11.3%), sin embargo, la presencia de la enfermedad no tiene relación directa con el sexo, edad, raza o procedencia del animal. Además, con los datos obtenidos se mantiene alerta la presencia del virus con el fin de realizar un programa de prevención y control de la enfermedad en la región.
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