Fluralaner and Tick Fever in Beef Calves: Tropical Stability
- Okay, hereS a breakdown of the information regarding how enzootic stability and pathogen detection where assessed in this study, based on the provided text:
- and Anaplasma marginale is defined as more than 75% of the animals in a herd being serologically positive for these pathogens.
- * Though, blood smears were not used to determine enzootic stability due to their low sensitivity.
Okay, hereS a breakdown of the information regarding how enzootic stability and pathogen detection where assessed in this study, based on the provided text:
1. Enzootic stability Definition:
* Enzootic stability for Babesia spp. and Anaplasma marginale is defined as more than 75% of the animals in a herd being serologically positive for these pathogens. (References [8] and [9] support this definition).
* In this study,this 75% seroprevalence threshold was applied to each of the three tick-borne (TF) agents being investigated.
* qPCR was used to confirm the level of exposure to the TF pathogens,complementing the serology results.
2. Pathogen Detection Methods:
* Blood Smears: Used to assess Babesia spp. parasitemia and A. marginale bacteremia.
* Though, blood smears were not used to determine enzootic stability due to their low sensitivity.
* Blood smears were taken at 25, 60, 135, 188, and 241 days of age.
* The method for determining parasitemia/bacteremia percentage followed the protocols described in References [20] and [21].
* Serology: The primary method for determining enzootic stability (as described above).
* qPCR: Used to confirm exposure levels to the TF pathogens.
3. Treatment:
* Calves showing clinical signs of TF pathogens received “salvation treatment” with diminazene (3.5 mg/kg).
In essence, the study used a combination of methods: serology to define enzootic stability based on prevalence, qPCR to confirm exposure, and blood smears to monitor parasite/bacteria levels, but acknowledging the limitations of blood smears for assessing overall stability.