The impact of co-infections on the haematological profile of East African Short-horn Zebu calves

The cumulative effect of co-infections between pathogen pairs on the haematological response of East African Short-horn Zebu calves is described. Using a longitudinal study design a stratified clustered random sample of newborn calves were recruited into the Infectious Diseases of East African Lives...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Parasitology Vol. 141; no. 3; p. 374
Main Authors:	Van Wyk, Ilana Conradie, Goddard, Amelia, de C Bronsvoort, B Mark, Coetzer, Jacobus A W, Handel, Ian G, Hanotte, Olivier, Jennings, Amy, Lesosky, Maia, Kiara, Henry, Thumbi, Sam M, Toye, Phil, Woolhouse, Mark W, Penzhorn, Banie L
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	England 01-03-2014
Subjects:	Anaplasma - isolation & purification Animals Animals, Newborn Babesia - isolation & purification Cattle Cattle Diseases - blood Cattle Diseases - epidemiology Cohort Studies Coinfection Female Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections - blood Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections - epidemiology Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections - veterinary Hematocrit - veterinary Kenya - epidemiology Leukocyte Count - veterinary Longitudinal Studies Nematoda - isolation & purification Parasitic Diseases, Animal - blood Parasitic Diseases, Animal - epidemiology Platelet Count - veterinary Theileria - isolation & purification Tick-Borne Diseases - blood Tick-Borne Diseases - epidemiology Tick-Borne Diseases - veterinary Ticks - microbiology Ticks - parasitology Trypanosoma - isolation & purification Kenya
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Summary:	The cumulative effect of co-infections between pathogen pairs on the haematological response of East African Short-horn Zebu calves is described. Using a longitudinal study design a stratified clustered random sample of newborn calves were recruited into the Infectious Diseases of East African Livestock (IDEAL) study and monitored at 5-weekly intervals until 51 weeks of age. At each visit samples were collected and analysed to determine the infection status of each calf as well as their haematological response. The haematological parameters investigated included packed cell volume (PCV), white blood cell count (WBC) and platelet count (Plt). The pathogens of interest included tick-borne protozoa and rickettsias, trypanosomes and intestinal parasites. Generalized additive mixed-effect models were used to model the infectious status of pathogens against each haematological parameter, including significant interactions between pathogens. These models were further used to predict the cumulative effect of co-infecting pathogen pairs on each haematological parameter. The most significant decrease in PCV was found with co-infections of trypanosomes and strongyles. Strongyle infections also resulted in a significant decrease in WBC at a high infectious load. Trypanosomes were the major cause of thrombocytopenia. Platelet counts were also affected by interactions between tick-borne pathogens. Interactions between concomitant pathogens were found to complicate the prognosis and clinical presentation of infected calves and should be taken into consideration in any study that investigates disease under field conditions.
ISSN:	1469-8161
DOI:	10.1017/S0031182013001625