Cattle Zoonotic and Non-Zoonotic Tick-Borne Pathogens in Europe—A Retrospective Analysis of the Past 15 Years

Vector-borne diseases play a significant role in veterinary health, impacting both wild and domestic animals and posing a major constraint on the development of animal husbandry worldwide. The current study aimed to highlight some of the factors involved in the appearance and dissemination of these...

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Main Authors: Diana Hoffman, Ioan Cristian Dreghiciu, Ion Oprescu, Mirela Imre, Tiana Florea, Anamaria Plesko, Sorin Morariu, Marius Stelian Ilie
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-05-01
Series:Animals
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/15/10/1408
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author Diana Hoffman
Ioan Cristian Dreghiciu
Ion Oprescu
Mirela Imre
Tiana Florea
Anamaria Plesko
Sorin Morariu
Marius Stelian Ilie
author_facet Diana Hoffman
Ioan Cristian Dreghiciu
Ion Oprescu
Mirela Imre
Tiana Florea
Anamaria Plesko
Sorin Morariu
Marius Stelian Ilie
author_sort Diana Hoffman
collection DOAJ
description Vector-borne diseases play a significant role in veterinary health, impacting both wild and domestic animals and posing a major constraint on the development of animal husbandry worldwide. The current study aimed to highlight some of the factors involved in the appearance and dissemination of these emerging and re-emerging diseases, as well as the prevalence rate of certain species of pathogens, in cattle throughout Europe. Considering the complexity of vector–host systems, ticks can be mentioned as the first and most common vector involved in the transmission of pathogens in cattle. The highest prevalence was reported for two vector species: <i>Ixodes ricinus</i> and <i>Haemaphysalis punctata</i>. Another factor that contributes to the rapid identification of these diseases is the employed diagnostic method; thus, the most frequently employed techniques in Europe are: PCR, ELISA, and phylogenetic analysis of sequences. The prevalence of tick-borne infections in cattle is continuously increasing. The most frequent associations are <i>Anaplasma</i> spp., <i>Babesia</i> spp., <i>Theileria</i> spp., and <i>Borrelia burgdorferi</i>. Overall, this study highlights a rising occurrence and prevalence of vector-borne diseases in European cattle, underscoring the need for thorough monitoring of farms and vector hotspots—ideally within a “One Health” framework.
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spelling doaj-art-4e33011edb4f45ae8076c43412eb006e2025-08-20T02:33:36ZengMDPI AGAnimals2076-26152025-05-011510140810.3390/ani15101408Cattle Zoonotic and Non-Zoonotic Tick-Borne Pathogens in Europe—A Retrospective Analysis of the Past 15 YearsDiana Hoffman0Ioan Cristian Dreghiciu1Ion Oprescu2Mirela Imre3Tiana Florea4Anamaria Plesko5Sorin Morariu6Marius Stelian Ilie7Department of Parasitology and Parasitic Disease, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Life Sciences “King Mihai I” from Timisoara, 119, Calea Aradului, 300645 Timisoara, RomaniaDepartment of Parasitology and Parasitic Disease, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Life Sciences “King Mihai I” from Timisoara, 119, Calea Aradului, 300645 Timisoara, RomaniaDepartment of Parasitology and Parasitic Disease, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Life Sciences “King Mihai I” from Timisoara, 119, Calea Aradului, 300645 Timisoara, RomaniaDepartment of Parasitology and Parasitic Disease, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Life Sciences “King Mihai I” from Timisoara, 119, Calea Aradului, 300645 Timisoara, RomaniaDepartment of Parasitology and Parasitic Disease, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Life Sciences “King Mihai I” from Timisoara, 119, Calea Aradului, 300645 Timisoara, RomaniaDepartment of Parasitology and Parasitic Disease, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Life Sciences “King Mihai I” from Timisoara, 119, Calea Aradului, 300645 Timisoara, RomaniaDepartment of Parasitology and Parasitic Disease, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Life Sciences “King Mihai I” from Timisoara, 119, Calea Aradului, 300645 Timisoara, RomaniaDepartment of Parasitology and Parasitic Disease, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Life Sciences “King Mihai I” from Timisoara, 119, Calea Aradului, 300645 Timisoara, RomaniaVector-borne diseases play a significant role in veterinary health, impacting both wild and domestic animals and posing a major constraint on the development of animal husbandry worldwide. The current study aimed to highlight some of the factors involved in the appearance and dissemination of these emerging and re-emerging diseases, as well as the prevalence rate of certain species of pathogens, in cattle throughout Europe. Considering the complexity of vector–host systems, ticks can be mentioned as the first and most common vector involved in the transmission of pathogens in cattle. The highest prevalence was reported for two vector species: <i>Ixodes ricinus</i> and <i>Haemaphysalis punctata</i>. Another factor that contributes to the rapid identification of these diseases is the employed diagnostic method; thus, the most frequently employed techniques in Europe are: PCR, ELISA, and phylogenetic analysis of sequences. The prevalence of tick-borne infections in cattle is continuously increasing. The most frequent associations are <i>Anaplasma</i> spp., <i>Babesia</i> spp., <i>Theileria</i> spp., and <i>Borrelia burgdorferi</i>. Overall, this study highlights a rising occurrence and prevalence of vector-borne diseases in European cattle, underscoring the need for thorough monitoring of farms and vector hotspots—ideally within a “One Health” framework.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/15/10/1408cattletick-borne diseases<i>Anaplasma</i><i>Borrelia</i><i>Babesia</i><i>Theileria</i>
spellingShingle Diana Hoffman
Ioan Cristian Dreghiciu
Ion Oprescu
Mirela Imre
Tiana Florea
Anamaria Plesko
Sorin Morariu
Marius Stelian Ilie
Cattle Zoonotic and Non-Zoonotic Tick-Borne Pathogens in Europe—A Retrospective Analysis of the Past 15 Years
Animals
cattle
tick-borne diseases
<i>Anaplasma</i>
<i>Borrelia</i>
<i>Babesia</i>
<i>Theileria</i>
title Cattle Zoonotic and Non-Zoonotic Tick-Borne Pathogens in Europe—A Retrospective Analysis of the Past 15 Years
title_full Cattle Zoonotic and Non-Zoonotic Tick-Borne Pathogens in Europe—A Retrospective Analysis of the Past 15 Years
title_fullStr Cattle Zoonotic and Non-Zoonotic Tick-Borne Pathogens in Europe—A Retrospective Analysis of the Past 15 Years
title_full_unstemmed Cattle Zoonotic and Non-Zoonotic Tick-Borne Pathogens in Europe—A Retrospective Analysis of the Past 15 Years
title_short Cattle Zoonotic and Non-Zoonotic Tick-Borne Pathogens in Europe—A Retrospective Analysis of the Past 15 Years
title_sort cattle zoonotic and non zoonotic tick borne pathogens in europe a retrospective analysis of the past 15 years
topic cattle
tick-borne diseases
<i>Anaplasma</i>
<i>Borrelia</i>
<i>Babesia</i>
<i>Theileria</i>
url https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/15/10/1408
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