Molecular and serological prevalence of Babesia bovis and Babesia bigemina in water buffaloes in the northeast region of Thailand

Bovine babesiosis is a tick-transmitted hemoprotozoan disease that is mainly caused by Babesia bovis and Babesia bigemina and is characterized by significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. The disease is widespread in the northeastern region of Thailand, where an increasingly large part of the livestock is composed of water buffaloes. The present study was therefore conducted to investigate the epidemiological distribution of B. bovis and B. bigemina in water buffaloes in the northeastern region of Thailand. A total of 305 buffalo blood samples were randomly collected from five provinces and simultaneously analyzed by the nested PCR (nPCR) assay, ELISA, and IFAT techniques. The overall prevalence of B. bovis and B. bigemina was 11.2% and 3.6% by nPCR, 14.7% and 5.9% by ELISA, and 16.8% and 5.6% by IFAT, respectively. The high concordance between the molecular and the serological detection tests revealed the specificity and sensitivity of the diagnostic assays used for the detection of infection as well as the endemic stability status of the parasites in the surveyed areas. Statistically significant differences in the prevalence of the two infections were observed on the basis of age and location but not gender. Our data provide valuable information regarding the epidemiology of B. bovis and B. bigemina infection in water buffaloes in the northeastern region of Thailand which will likely be very beneficial for management and control programs of this disease.