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Detection of Cowdria ruminantium in blood and bone marrow samples from clinically normal, free-ranging Zimbabwean
N D Kock1, A H van Vliet, K Charlton
1Department of Paraclinical Veterinary Studies, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Zimbabwe, Harare, Zimbabwe.
Abstract:
Cowdria ruminantium causes severe, often fatal disease in domestic ruminants, whereas wildlife species usually are not affected. Blood and bone marrow samples from healthy, free-ranging Zimbabwean ungulates were taken during translocation from areas harboring Amblyomma ticks and tested for the presence of C. ruminantium, using a PCR assay based on the C. ruminantium map1 gene. Positive reactions were obtained in tsessebe (Damaliscus lunatus), waterbuck (Kobus ellipsiprymnus), and impala (Aepyceros melampus). Wildlife species may therefore be a reservoir for C. ruminantium thus contributing to the spread of cowdriosis.