Cattle schistosomiasis in Zambia

Area of Science:

• Veterinary Parasitology
• Molecular Biology
• Zoonotic Diseases

Background:

• Schistosomiasis is a significant parasitic disease affecting livestock and humans globally.
• Understanding the genetic diversity and prevalence of schistosome species in cattle is crucial for disease control.
• Zambia faces challenges with parasitic infections in its cattle population, impacting agricultural productivity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the prevalence and species composition of schistosome infections in cattle in Zambian slaughterhouses.
• To analyze the genetic patterns of schistosome worms using enzyme electrophoresis.
• To investigate potential hybridization events between different Schistosoma species.

Main Methods:

• Parasitological examination of 358 cattle from Zambian slaughterhouses.
• Collection and analysis of 542 schistosome worms from 104 infected cattle.
• Isoelectric focusing to examine glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase and phosphoglucomutase enzyme profiles.
• Species identification based on established criteria and genetic patterns.

Main Results:

• An overall schistosome infection prevalence of 51% was recorded in the examined cattle.
• Schistosoma mattheei was the predominant species (75%), followed by S. leiperi (12%) and S. margrebowei (2%).
• Eleven percent of worms exhibited distinct heterozygote patterns, with Pattern A potentially representing a hybrid of S. mattheei x S. haematobium or S. mattheei x S. leiperi.

Conclusions:

• Schistosoma mattheei is the primary schistosome species infecting cattle in this Zambian region.
• The presence of heterozygote patterns indicates possible interspecies hybridization, complicating parasite identification and epidemiology.
• Further molecular studies are necessary to confirm the origins of the observed genetic patterns, particularly Pattern B.