Seroepidemiological survey of bovine tick-borne infections in the Black Sea Region of Turkey

Babesiosis, theileriosis, and anaplasmosis are the tick-borne diseases of cattle in most of the tropical areas and Turkey. A total of 270 cattle were randomly selected from 27 villages and 77 farms in the Black Sea Region of Turkey for the determination of infections by Babesia bigemina and Anaplasma marginale by using the indirect fluorescent antibody (IFA) test and the competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (cELISA). Of those, 242 and 256 sera were also analyzed for antibodies against Theileria annulata and Babesia bovis infections using the IFA test, respectively, during the period of June 2006 to June 2007. Of the 256 tested sera, 99 (38.6%) were positive for B. bovis; from the total 270 sera, 40 (14.8%) were positive for B. bigemina; of the 242 sera tested, 31 (12.8%) were positive for T. annulata by IFA; and from the total 270 sera, 102 (37.8%) were positive for A. marginale by cELISA. A total of 1125 ixodid ticks were collected and 10 species were identified. Antibodies produced by infections with Babesia spp., Anaplasma spp., and Theileria spp. were found highly prevalent. Infections caused by the agents and the tick species may cause severe economic damage to cattle production from the Black Sea Region of Turkey.