Wild deer in the United Kingdom are a potential reservoir for the livestock parasite

Gray, A., Capewell, P. , Zadoks, R. , Taggart, M. A., French, A. S., Katzer, F., Shiels, B. R. and Weir, W. (2021) Wild deer in the United Kingdom are a potential reservoir for the livestock parasite. Current Research in Parasitology and Vector-Borne Diseases, 1, 100019. (doi: 10.1016/j.crpvbd.2021.100019) (PMID:35284871) (PMCID:PMC8906096)

Abstract

Redwater fever is an economically important disease of cattle in the United Kingdom caused by the protozoan parasite . Control efforts are dependent on accurate local historic knowledge of disease occurrence, together with an accurate appreciation of current underlying risk factors. Importantly, the involvement of red deer in the transmission of this pathogen in the UK remains unclear. We employed a polymerase chain reaction approach combined with DNA sequencing to investigate infections in livestock and red deer at a UK farm with a history of tick-borne disease. This revealed several -infected cattle that were not displaying overt clinical signs. Additionally, 11% of red deer on the farmland and surrounding areas were infected with this parasite. We also found that 16% of the red deer were infected with , the first time this parasite has been detected in the UK. The finding of in the red deer population updates our knowledge of epidemiology in the UK and has implications for the effective control of redwater fever.

• Item Type: Articles
• Keywords: Deer, Babesia odocoilei, Babesia divergens, reservoir, cattle, Babesiosis, tick-borne disease.
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Weir, Professor Willie and Shiels, Professor Brian and Zadoks, Professor Ruth and Capewell, Dr Paul and Gray, Mr Alexander
• Authors: Gray, A., Capewell, P., Zadoks, R., Taggart, M. A., French, A. S., Katzer, F., Shiels, B. R., and Weir, W.
• College/School: College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Biodiversity, One Health & Veterinary Medicine
• Journal Name: Current Research in Parasitology and Vector-Borne Diseases
• Publisher: Elsevier
• ISSN: 2667-114X
• ISSN (Online): 2667-114X
• Published Online: 17 March 2021
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2021 The Authors
• First Published: First published in Current Research in Parasitology and Vector-Borne Diseases 1:100019
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons licence