Background: Public interest for tick-borne pathogens in cattle livestock is rising due to their veterinary and zoonotic importance. Consequently, correct identification of these potential pathogens is crucial to estimate the level of exposition, the risk and the detrimental impact on livestock and the human population.Results: Conventional PCR with generic primers was used to identify groups of tick-borne pathogens in cattle breeds from northern Cameroon. The overall prevalence in 1260 blood samples was 89.1%, with 993 (78.8%) positive forTheileria/Babesiaspp., 959 (76.1%) forAnaplasma/Ehrlichiaspp., 225 (17.9%) forBorreliaspp., and 180 (14.3%) forRickettsia spp. Sanger sequencing of a subset of positively-tested samples revealed the presence ofTheileria mutans(92.2%, 130/141),T. velifera(16.3%, 23/141),Anaplasma centrale(10.9%, 15/137),A. marginale(30.7%, 42/137),A. platys(51.1%, 70/137),Anaplasmasp. ‘Hadesa’ (10.9%, 15/137),Ehrlichia ruminantium(0.7%, 1/137),E. canis(0.7%, 1/137),Borrelia theileri(91.3%, 42/46), Rickettsia africae(59.4%, 19/32) andR. felis(12.5%, 4/32). A high level of both intra- and inter-generic co-infections (76.0%) was observed. To the best of our knowledge,B. theileri, T. mutans,T. velifera,A. platys,Anaplasmasp. ‘Hadesa’,R. felisandE. canisare reported for the first time in cattle from Cameroon, and forR. felisit is the first discovery in the cattle host.Babesiaspp. were not detected by sequencing. The highest number of still identifiable species co-infections was up to four pathogens per genus group. Multifactorial analyses revealed a significant association of infection withBorrelia theileriand anemia. Whereas animals of older age had a higher risk of infection, the Gudali cattle had a lower risk compared to the other local breeds.Conclusion: Co-infections of tick-borne pathogens with an overall high prevalence were found in all five study sites, and were more likely to occur than single infections. Fulani, Namchi and Kapsiki were the most infected breed in general; however, with regions as significant risk factor. A better-adapted approach for tick-borne pathogen identification in co-infected samples is a requirement for epidemiological investigations and tailored control measures.

A survey was undertaken to characterise larval anisakid nematodes present in teleosts at Lizard Island on the northern Great Barrier Reef. In total, 464 fish were examined from 32 families, 62 genera and 107 species. Anisakid nematodes were found in 46 (9.9%) of the fish examined. Infections in Atherinidae, Lethrinidae, Lutjanidae and Serranidae were moderately prevalent, with the intensities of infection ranging from 1 to 80; whereas in the Sphyraenidae and Scombridae, the prevalence of infection was very high, with intensities ranging from 1 to >375 anisakids. A combined morphological and molecular-phylogenetic approach was employed to identify larval anisakid nematodes to species and/or genotypes. The nematodes examined were identified as Anisakis typica (three genotypes based on molecular characterisation), Terranova Types I (five genotypes) and II (five genotypes) and Hysterothylacium Types IV, V (four genotypes), VI and X. The findings of the present study provide some insights into the distribution of larval anisakid nematodes in coral-reef fishes and a basis for future investigations of anisakid populations in marine fishes.

Background: African animal trypanosomosis remains the major constraint of livestock production and livelihood of pastoral communities in Cameroon. Despite several decades of vector and parasite control efforts, it has not been eradicated. Alternative and sustainable control strategies require a sound knowledge of the local species, strains and vectors. In the Sudano-Sahelian and Guinea Savannah of Cameroon the prevalence and genetic diversity of trypanosomes infecting cattle was investigated by microscopy of cattle blood buffy coat and molecular methods using generic primers targeting parts of the internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS-1) and encoded glycosomal glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase-gene (gGAPDH). Results: A total of 1176 randomly chosen cattle from five divisions in the Sudano-Sahelian and Guinea Savannah of Cameroon were examined. The overall prevalence of trypanosomes by microscopy was 5.9% (56/953) in contrast to 53.2% (626/1176) when molecular tools were used. This indicated a limited sensitivity of microscopy in subclinical infections with frequently low parasitemia. Three trypanosome species were identified by light microscopy: T. vivax (2.3%), T. brucei (3.7%) and T. congolense (3.0%), whereas five were identified by PCR, namely T. grayi/T. theileri (30.8%), T. vivax (17.7%), T. brucei (14.5%) and T. congolense (5.1%). Unexpected cases of T. grayi (n = 4) and T. theileri (n = 26) were confirmed by sequencing. Phylogenetic analysis of the gGAPDH revealed the presence of T. vivax, clade A and T. vivax clade C, which were co-endemic in the Faro et Deo division. T. grayi/T. theileri were the predominant species infecting cattle in tsetse free areas. In contrast, T. vivax, T. brucei and T. congolense were more abundant in areas where the Glossina-vectors were present. Conclusions: The abundance of pathogenic trypanosomes in tsetse infested areas is alarming and even more, the occurrence of T. vivax, T. brucei, T. congolense, T. theileri and T. grayi in tsetse-free areas implies that tsetse control alone is not sufficient to control trypanosomosis in livestock. To implement control measures that reduce the risk of spread in tsetse free areas, close monitoring using molecular tools and a thorough search for alternative vectors of trypanosomes is recommended.