The first report of the seroprevalence of antibodies against Bartonella spp. in water buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis) from South Thailand

Vet World Vol.14 December-2021 Article-11

Research Article

Veterinary World, 14(12): 3144-3148

https://doi.org/10.14202/vetworld.2021.3144-3148

Sumalee Boonmar¹, Phirabhat Saengsawang¹, Watcharapong Mitsuwan^1,2, Decha Panjai³, Kamchai Kidsin⁴, Chalutwan Sansamur¹, and Ittidet Wichianrat¹

1. Akkhraratchakumari Veterinary College, Walailak University, Thasala, Nakhon Si Thammarat, 80160, Thailand.
2. Research Center of Excellence in Innovation of Essential Oil, Walailak University, Nakhon Si Thammarat 80160, Thailand.
3. Department of Medical Sciences, National Institute of Health, Ministry of Public Health, Nonthaburi, 11000, Thailand.
4. Animal Health Section, The Eight Regional Livestock Development, Surat Thani 84000, Thailand.

Background and Aim: Bartonellosis is an emerging worldwide zoonosis caused by bacteria belonging to the genus Bartonella. Several studies have been conducted on the prevalence of Bartonella infections from animals and humans, including reports from wild and domestic ruminants. However, there has been only one report of Bartonella infection in water buffaloes from the northeastern part of Thailand. Moreover, the seroprevalence of Bartonella spp. in water buffaloes still remains unknown. This study was conducted to explore the prevalence of Bartonella spp. among water buffaloes from South Thailand using molecular and serological techniques.

Materials and Methods: A total of 312 samples (156 blood and 156 sera) of 156 water buffaloes from 29 farms in Phatthalung Province, South Thailand, were collected from January to March 2021. All samples were screened for Bartonella spp. using polymerase chain reaction and indirect immunofluorescence assay.

Results: The seroprevalence of antibodies against three Bartonella spp. was 16.03% (25/156, 95% confidence interval: 10.65-22.74%), and among 25 water buffaloes with seroprevalence, 56%, 20%, and 24% were positive for antibodies against Bartonella henselae, Bartonella vinsonii subspp. berkhoffii, and Bartonella tamiae, respectively. No significant difference was detected among seroprevalence, gender, age, and ectoparasite infestation.

Conclusion: This is the first report of the seroprevalence of antibodies against B. henselae, B. vinsonii subspp. berkhoffii, and B. tamiae in water buffaloes from South Thailand. Further studies are required on the epidemiology of Bartonella infection among water buffaloes, related personnel, and ectoparasites. Keywords: Bartonella henselae, Bartonella tamiae, Bartonella vinsonii subspp. berkhoffii, immunofluorescence assay, seroprevalence, water buffaloes.

Keywords: Bartonella henselae, Bartonella tamiae, Bartonella vinsonii subspp. berkhoffii, immunofluorescence assay, seroprevalence, water buffaloes.

How to cite this article: Boonmar S, Saengsawang P, Mitsuwan W, Panjai D, Kidsin K, Sansamur C, Wichianrat I (2021) The first report of the seroprevalence of antibodies against Bartonella spp. in water buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis) from South Thailand, Veterinary World, 14(12): 3144-3148.

Received: 02-09-2021 Accepted: 08-11-2021 Published online: 24-12-2021

Corresponding author: Sumalee Boonmar E-mail: sumalee.bo@wu.ac.th

DOI: 10.14202/vetworld.2021.3144-3148

Copyright: Boonmar, et al. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http:// creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.