Cattle and Leishmania Infection in Bangladesh
Author Information
Author(s): Alam Mohammad Shafiul, Ghosh Debashis, Khan Md Gulam Musawwir, Islam Mohammad Faizul, Mondal Dinesh, Itoh Makoto, Islam Md Nurul, Haque Rashidul
Primary Institution: ICDDR, B
Hypothesis
Do domestic cattle in Bangladesh have antibodies against Leishmania and play a role in visceral leishmaniasis transmission?
Conclusion
Cattle have antibodies against the Leishmania parasite, but they do not serve as a reservoir host for the disease.
Supporting Evidence
- 9.4% of the cattle tested positive for anti-Leishmania antibodies.
- Only 30.8% of the ELISA-positive cattle were also positive in the direct agglutination test.
- No Leishmania DNA was detected in any of the molecular assays performed.
Takeaway
The study found that some cattle have antibodies from being bitten by infected sandflies, but they don't actually carry the disease.
Methodology
Blood samples were collected from 138 cattle and tested for antibodies using ELISA and DAT, and for DNA using PCR and LAMP.
Limitations
The study could not follow up on the cattle for parasite DNA detection in subsequent months due to limited resources.
Participant Demographics
The sample included 50 males and 88 females, with a mean age of 31.7 months.
Statistical Information
P-Value
<0.05
Confidence Interval
95%
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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