Seroprevalence of Bovine Babesiosis at the Vegas De La Clara Farm, Gómez Plata (Antioquia), 2008

Abstract

Babesiosis is a cattle disease transmitted by Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus ticks and caused by protozoan parasites Babesia bovis and Babesia bigemina. An area is considered as epizootiologically stable to Babesia spp when 75% of the cattle between the ages of 3 to 9 months are seroreactive (IgG) against Babesia bovis and Babesia bigemina, and there is no clinical evidence. The purpose of this study was to determine the seroprevalence of Babesia bovis and Babesia bigemina in cattle at the Vegas de la Clara Farm (Antioquia University, Gómez Plata, Antioquia) through indirect immunofluorescence. A prospective descriptive study with cross-sectional analysis was designed and the entire bovine population of the Clara Vegas Farm (n = 118) was evaluated. All samples were evaluated through indirect immunofluorescence in order to detect specific IgG antibodies against B. bovis and B. bigemina. The seroreactivity obtained in the evaluated bovines for at least one species of Babesia was of 89.8%, of 83.8% for Babesia bovis and of 61% for B. bigemina. A statistically significant relationship was obtained between the seroreactivity for B. bigemina and the frequency of acaricide treatment. Seroreactivity indicates enzootic stability in the herd for B. bovis, whereas for B. bigemina it was found that the frequency of acaricide treatment interrupts its transmission cycle.