Prevalence of haemotropic mycoplasmas and blood piroplasmids in domestic and wild ruminants in Slovakia, Central Europe

Some piroplasmids and haemotropic mycoplasmas are important pathogens affecting domestic and wild animals, leading to various clinical symptoms and economic losses. This study aimed to determine, for the first time, the prevalence of haemotropic mycoplasmas and Babesia/Theileria species in domestic...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Dana Zubriková, Lucia Vargová, Júlia Halapy, Branislav Lukáč, Veronika Blažeková, Klaudia Mária Švirlochová, Eva Čisovská Bazsalovicsová, Ján Čurlík, Ivana Heglasová, Bronislava Víchová
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-01-01
Series:Current Research in Parasitology and Vector-Borne Diseases
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667114X25000305
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1849417595397079040
author Dana Zubriková
Lucia Vargová
Júlia Halapy
Branislav Lukáč
Veronika Blažeková
Klaudia Mária Švirlochová
Eva Čisovská Bazsalovicsová
Ján Čurlík
Ivana Heglasová
Bronislava Víchová
author_facet Dana Zubriková
Lucia Vargová
Júlia Halapy
Branislav Lukáč
Veronika Blažeková
Klaudia Mária Švirlochová
Eva Čisovská Bazsalovicsová
Ján Čurlík
Ivana Heglasová
Bronislava Víchová
author_sort Dana Zubriková
collection DOAJ
description Some piroplasmids and haemotropic mycoplasmas are important pathogens affecting domestic and wild animals, leading to various clinical symptoms and economic losses. This study aimed to determine, for the first time, the prevalence of haemotropic mycoplasmas and Babesia/Theileria species in domestic and wild ruminants in Slovakia, Central Europe. Blood samples from cattle, goats, and sheep (n = 549) and liver samples from red deer (n = 43) were collected across Slovakia between 2008 and 2024. DNA was extracted and screened by PCR and sequencing for haemotropic mycoplasmas and piroplasmids. The overall prevalence of haemotropic mycoplasmas was highest in cattle at 53.3% (124/232) and in sheep at 60% (90/150), whereas the prevalence in goats was substantially lower (4.2%; 7/167). Specifically, Mycoplasma wenyonii and “Candidatus Mycoplasma haematobovis” were detected in cattle, while Mycoplasma ovis-like microorganisms were identified in sheep and goats. For Babesia/Theileria species, a prevalence of 1.8% was recorded in goats, with no detections in sheep, and a prevalence of 65.1% was confirmed in red deer, where sequencing confirmed the presence of Theileria capreoli. This study presents the first report on the prevalence of haemotropic mycoplasmas in ruminants in Slovakia, highlighting the need for further research into transmission dynamics and potential zoonotic risks.
format Article
id doaj-art-27cdedea4deb46758a38550df0cd0fbd
institution Kabale University
issn 2667-114X
language English
publishDate 2025-01-01
publisher Elsevier
record_format Article
series Current Research in Parasitology and Vector-Borne Diseases
spelling doaj-art-27cdedea4deb46758a38550df0cd0fbd2025-08-20T03:32:46ZengElsevierCurrent Research in Parasitology and Vector-Borne Diseases2667-114X2025-01-01810027010.1016/j.crpvbd.2025.100270Prevalence of haemotropic mycoplasmas and blood piroplasmids in domestic and wild ruminants in Slovakia, Central EuropeDana Zubriková0Lucia Vargová1Júlia Halapy2Branislav Lukáč3Veronika Blažeková4Klaudia Mária Švirlochová5Eva Čisovská Bazsalovicsová6Ján Čurlík7Ivana Heglasová8Bronislava Víchová9Institute of Parasitology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Hlinkova 3, Košice, 041 81, SlovakiaInstitute of Parasitology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Hlinkova 3, Košice, 041 81, SlovakiaInstitute of Parasitology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Hlinkova 3, Košice, 041 81, SlovakiaSmall Animal Clinic, University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy, Komenského 73, Košice, 041 81, SlovakiaInstitute of Parasitology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Hlinkova 3, Košice, 041 81, SlovakiaInstitute of Parasitology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Hlinkova 3, Košice, 041 81, Slovakia; Department of Epizootiology, Parasitology and Protection of One Health, University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy in Košice, Komenského 73, Košice, 041 81, SlovakiaInstitute of Parasitology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Hlinkova 3, Košice, 041 81, SlovakiaDepartment of Breeding and Diseases of Game, Fish and Bees, Ecology and Cynology, University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy in Košice, Komenského 73, Košice, 041 81, SlovakiaDepartment of Biology and Environmental Studies, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Matej Bel University, Tajovského 40, 974 01, Banská Bystrica, SlovakiaInstitute of Parasitology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Hlinkova 3, Košice, 041 81, Slovakia; Corresponding author. Institute of Parasitology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Hlinkova 3, 040 01, Košice, Slovakia.Some piroplasmids and haemotropic mycoplasmas are important pathogens affecting domestic and wild animals, leading to various clinical symptoms and economic losses. This study aimed to determine, for the first time, the prevalence of haemotropic mycoplasmas and Babesia/Theileria species in domestic and wild ruminants in Slovakia, Central Europe. Blood samples from cattle, goats, and sheep (n = 549) and liver samples from red deer (n = 43) were collected across Slovakia between 2008 and 2024. DNA was extracted and screened by PCR and sequencing for haemotropic mycoplasmas and piroplasmids. The overall prevalence of haemotropic mycoplasmas was highest in cattle at 53.3% (124/232) and in sheep at 60% (90/150), whereas the prevalence in goats was substantially lower (4.2%; 7/167). Specifically, Mycoplasma wenyonii and “Candidatus Mycoplasma haematobovis” were detected in cattle, while Mycoplasma ovis-like microorganisms were identified in sheep and goats. For Babesia/Theileria species, a prevalence of 1.8% was recorded in goats, with no detections in sheep, and a prevalence of 65.1% was confirmed in red deer, where sequencing confirmed the presence of Theileria capreoli. This study presents the first report on the prevalence of haemotropic mycoplasmas in ruminants in Slovakia, highlighting the need for further research into transmission dynamics and potential zoonotic risks.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667114X25000305Haemotropic MycoplasmaBabesiaTheileriaCattleGoatsSheep
spellingShingle Dana Zubriková
Lucia Vargová
Júlia Halapy
Branislav Lukáč
Veronika Blažeková
Klaudia Mária Švirlochová
Eva Čisovská Bazsalovicsová
Ján Čurlík
Ivana Heglasová
Bronislava Víchová
Prevalence of haemotropic mycoplasmas and blood piroplasmids in domestic and wild ruminants in Slovakia, Central Europe
Current Research in Parasitology and Vector-Borne Diseases
Haemotropic Mycoplasma
Babesia
Theileria
Cattle
Goats
Sheep
title Prevalence of haemotropic mycoplasmas and blood piroplasmids in domestic and wild ruminants in Slovakia, Central Europe
title_full Prevalence of haemotropic mycoplasmas and blood piroplasmids in domestic and wild ruminants in Slovakia, Central Europe
title_fullStr Prevalence of haemotropic mycoplasmas and blood piroplasmids in domestic and wild ruminants in Slovakia, Central Europe
title_full_unstemmed Prevalence of haemotropic mycoplasmas and blood piroplasmids in domestic and wild ruminants in Slovakia, Central Europe
title_short Prevalence of haemotropic mycoplasmas and blood piroplasmids in domestic and wild ruminants in Slovakia, Central Europe
title_sort prevalence of haemotropic mycoplasmas and blood piroplasmids in domestic and wild ruminants in slovakia central europe
topic Haemotropic Mycoplasma
Babesia
Theileria
Cattle
Goats
Sheep
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667114X25000305
work_keys_str_mv AT danazubrikova prevalenceofhaemotropicmycoplasmasandbloodpiroplasmidsindomesticandwildruminantsinslovakiacentraleurope
AT luciavargova prevalenceofhaemotropicmycoplasmasandbloodpiroplasmidsindomesticandwildruminantsinslovakiacentraleurope
AT juliahalapy prevalenceofhaemotropicmycoplasmasandbloodpiroplasmidsindomesticandwildruminantsinslovakiacentraleurope
AT branislavlukac prevalenceofhaemotropicmycoplasmasandbloodpiroplasmidsindomesticandwildruminantsinslovakiacentraleurope
AT veronikablazekova prevalenceofhaemotropicmycoplasmasandbloodpiroplasmidsindomesticandwildruminantsinslovakiacentraleurope
AT klaudiamariasvirlochova prevalenceofhaemotropicmycoplasmasandbloodpiroplasmidsindomesticandwildruminantsinslovakiacentraleurope
AT evacisovskabazsalovicsova prevalenceofhaemotropicmycoplasmasandbloodpiroplasmidsindomesticandwildruminantsinslovakiacentraleurope
AT jancurlik prevalenceofhaemotropicmycoplasmasandbloodpiroplasmidsindomesticandwildruminantsinslovakiacentraleurope
AT ivanaheglasova prevalenceofhaemotropicmycoplasmasandbloodpiroplasmidsindomesticandwildruminantsinslovakiacentraleurope
AT bronislavavichova prevalenceofhaemotropicmycoplasmasandbloodpiroplasmidsindomesticandwildruminantsinslovakiacentraleurope