Molecular Detection of Anaplasma phagocytophilum in Ixodid Ticks Infesting White Fulani Cattle in Zaria and its Environs, Kaduna State, Nigeria.
Authors: Rabiu M. , Natala A. J. , Okubanjo O. O. , David R. , Ola-Fadunsin S. D. , Hussain K. , Ganiyu I. A. , Odetokun I. A. , Elelu N. , Sani D. , Baba A. Y. 
Published: August 2023

Anaplasmosis, a disease caused by various species of Anaplasma, poses important economic constraints to animal breeders. In Zaria, molecular detection of tick-borne pathogens infecting cattle is very sketchy. Being hematophagous, ticks are capable of transmitting disease agents such as viruses, bacteria and protozoa. This study was carried out to detect for the presence of Anaplasma pathogen in the various tick species infesting white Fulani breeds of cattle owing to their high population in Zaria and environs using a Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). Three hundred and eighty-four (n=384) white Fulani breed of cattle of varying age and sex were sampled from 32 herds in 4 villages (Bomo, Tofu, Ungwan Dabosa and Majeru). The DNA was extracted using Qiagen commercial kit following manufacturer’s instructions. Genomic DNA of the species of ticks was amplified in a semi-nested PCR targeting the 16S rRNA fragment of the Anaplasma spp at expected amplicon size of 711bp. The PCR products were purified using Gel Extraction Kit (Bioland, Scientific LLC) following the manufacturer’s protocol. All sequences were subjected to a Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST) to determined their identities and assess their homologues and similarities to those in the GenBank. A neighbor-joining tree was generated using the Molecular Engineering Genetic Analysis (MEGA 7.0) to derive the close relationship between the isolates. The result of this study implies that Anaplasma spp (MN044909) is present in all the five species of ticks infesting cattle in Zaria, Kaduna State, Nigeria and pose a high risk on humans and animals health.

Anaplasmosis, a disease caused by various species of Anaplasma, poses important economic constraints to animal breeders. In Zaria, molecular detection of tick-borne pathogens infecting cattle is very sketchy. Being hematophagous, ticks are capable of transmitting disease agents such as viruses, bacteria and protozoa. This study was carried out to detect for the presence of Anaplasma pathogen in the various tick species infesting white Fulani breeds of cattle owing to their high population in Zaria and environs using a Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). Three hundred and eighty-four (n=384) white Fulani breed of cattle of varying age and sex were sampled from 32 herds in 4 villages (Bomo, Tofu, Ungwan Dabosa and Majeru). The DNA was extracted using Qiagen commercial kit following manufacturer’s instructions. Genomic DNA of the species of ticks was amplified in a semi-nested PCR targeting the 16S rRNA fragment of the Anaplasma spp at expected amplicon size of 711bp. The PCR products were purified using Gel Extraction Kit (Bioland, Scientific LLC) following the manufacturer’s protocol. All sequences were subjected to a Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST) to determined their identities and assess their homologues and similarities to those in the GenBank. A neighbor-joining tree was generated using the Molecular Engineering Genetic Analysis (MEGA 7.0) to derive the close relationship between the isolates. The result of this study implies that Anaplasma spp (MN044909) is present in all the five species of ticks infesting cattle in Zaria, Kaduna State, Nigeria and pose a high risk on humans and animals health.