DETECTION OF Anaplasma marginale AND Babesia bovis BY nPCR IN BUFFALOS FROM THE WESTERN REGION OF CUBA

Abstract

Dear Editor:
Anaplasma marginale and Babesia bovis are the main haemoparasites affecting cattle in Cuba and have caused great economic losses.
The bubaline species, recently introduced in the country, is also susceptible to the infection with haemoparasites; though it shows a higher natural resistance and difficultly increases the disease in its clinical form. The animals infected act as natural reservoirs of these agents.
The detection of A. marginale and B. bovis in buffalos in farms from the western region of Cuba was carried out by two nPCR assays; amplifying a 345 pb band of the gene msp5 for A. marginale, and a 291 pb band of the gene rap1 for B. bovis.
It has been demonstrated that buffalos from the western region of Cuba are infected by A. marginale and B. bovis, being the first finding regarding these infections in the country for this animal species.