Prevalence of gastrointestinal parasitic infections and haemoprotozoan diseases of buffalo in coastal areas of Chattogram division, Bangladesh

Abstract

Buffalo rearing is an important component of livestock sector in Bangladesh. It is considered as the “Black Gold” next to cattle due to its significant contribution in milk and meat production. The growth, development, and productivity of buffaloes are adversely affected by various types of gastrointestinal (GI) parasitic infections (e.g., helminths, protozoa) and haemoprotozoan diseases (e.g., Anaplasmosis, Babesiosis, and Theileriosis) contributing a great economic loss. Therefore, the current cross-sectional study was designed to determine the prevalence of GI parasitic infections and haemoprotozoan diseases and their associated risk factors (e.g., location, age, sex, deworming status) in buffaloes from four upazillas of two coastal districts of Chattogram division. A total of 158 faecal and 145 blood samples were collected from Kabirhat and Companigonj upazilla of Noakhali district and Sandwip and Boalkhali upazilla of Chattogram district. The routine coproscopy (e.g. direct smear, floatation and sedimentation) were carried out to identify the eggs/oocysts/cysts of GI parasites. Blood smears were first examined by the Giemsa’s stain and then, subsequent, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed on the same blood samples to identify haemoprotozoan diseases of buffalo. Partial gene sequencing and phylogenetic analyses were performed on selected positive isolates of haemoprotozoa by using Sanger sequencing method and UPGMA method, respectively. Results demonstrated that overall prevalence of GI parasitic infections was 44.30% (95% CI: 36.41–52.41) in buffalo where, prevalence of nematode was the highest (20.25%, 95% CI: 14.28–27.37) in comparison to other helminths (trematode). Besides, among different nematodes, the prevalence of Toxocara vitulorum was the highest (17.72%, 95% CI: 12.11–24.58). Among the GI protozoa, the occurrence Balantidium coli was the highest (3.16%, 95% CI: 12.11- 24.58). Based on location, the buffaloes of Sandwip had the highest GI parasitic infections (61.54%) compared to other three upazillas. Moreover, adult buffaloes (46.05%) mostly infected with GI parasites in comparison to young (44.26%) and calf (38.10%). Male buffaloes (48.28%) were more prone to GI parasitic infection in comparison to female buffaloes (42.00%). It was also found that, infection caused by nematodes was higher in non-dewormed buffalo (31.58%) where, T. vitulorum infection was found almost two folds lower (p<0.05) in dewormed buffalo (12.87%) compared to non-dewormed buffalo (26.32%). On the other hand, the overall prevalence of haemoprotozoan infection was xv 14.48% (95% CI: 09.19–21.28), and 31.03% (95% CI: 23.62–39.24) in simple microscopy and PCR, respectively. Among the haemoprotozoa, Anaplasma marginale was the highest (30.34%) followed by Babesia bigemina and Theileria annulata in buffaloes using PCR technique. Geographically, the buffalo of Boalkhali region had the highest prevalence (48.89%) of all hemoprotozoan diseases in comparison to other locations. Among the three different age groups, calf (36.84%) showed more susceptibility to different haemoprotozoan diseases in comparison to young and adult buffalo. Female buffalo had significantly (p<0.05) higher prevalence of haemoprotozoan infections (36.84%) than male buffalo (20.00%). Sequencing and phylogenetic analyses revealed that Babesia bigemina, Anaplasma marginale, and Theileria anulata were circulating in buffaloes of aforementioned coastal areas of Chattogram division and these isolates were found to have close relation with those of China, India, Pakistan, and Japan. Therefore, the current investigation will help in epidemiological forecasting to the veterinarians and farmers in designing appropriate prevention and control measures against those infections in this region.