This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Reprints and Permissions Copyright Information Books from ASM Press MicrobeWorld Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Bekker, C. P. J. Articles by Jongejan, F. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Bekker, C. P. J. Articles by Jongejan, F.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Clinical and Diagnostic Laboratory Immunology, July 2001, p. 843-846, Vol. 8, No. 4
1071-412X/01/$04.00+0   DOI: 10.1128/CDLI.8.4.843-846.2001
Copyright © 2001, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.

Heartwater (Cowdria ruminantium Infection) as a Cause of Postrestocking Mortality of Goats in Mozambique

Cornelis P. J. Bekker,¹ Daan Vink,² Carlos M. Lopes Pereira,^3, Wendela Wapenaar,² Afonso Langa,³ and Frans Jongejan^2,4,*

Division of Bacteriology¹ and Division of Parasitology and Tropical Veterinary Medicine,² Department of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands; Department of Veterinary Tropical Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, Onderstepoort 0110, South Africa⁴; and Faculdade de Veterinária, Universidade de Eduardo Mondlane, Maputo, Mozambique³

Received 9 November 2000/Returned for modification 17 January 2001/Accepted 4 April 2001

A serological survey in Mozambique to detect antibodies to Cowdria ruminantium, the etiologic agent of heartwater, revealed a seroprevalence of 8.1% (n = 332) for goats in the northern province of Tete and of 65.6% (n = 326) for goats in the southern provinces. Translocation of 10 serologically negative goats from Tete to farms in the south resulted in two clinical cases of heartwater that were fatal. In addition, four goats seroconverted within the study period of 5 weeks. One goat showed no symptoms. Two goats died of other causes, whereas the remaining goat went missing after 1 week. Experimental needle infections of goats and sheep were conducted to confirm results and to isolate different strains of C. ruminantium. These data indicate that translocation of goats from the north to the south of Mozambique bears a high risk of C. ruminantium infection, which can cause fatal disease.

---

^* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Division of Parasitology and Tropical Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, P.O. Box 80.165, 3508 TD Utrecht, The Netherlands. Phone: (31-30) 2532568. Fax: (31-30) 2540784. E-mail: F.Jongejan{at}vet.uu.nl.

Present address: Veterinary Epidemiology Unit, National Directorate of Livestock, Ministry of Agriculture, Maputo, Mozambique.

---

Clinical and Diagnostic Laboratory Immunology, July 2001, p. 843-846, Vol. 8, No. 4
1071-412X/01/$04.00+0   DOI: 10.1128/CDLI.8.4.843-846.2001
Copyright © 2001, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Inokuma, H., Oyamada, M., Kelly, P. J., Jacobson, L. A., Fournier, P.-E., Itamoto, K., Okuda, M., Brouqui, P. (2005). Molecular Detection of a New Anaplasma Species Closely Related to Anaplasma phagocytophilum in Canine Blood from South Africa. J. Clin. Microbiol. 43: 2934-2937 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Faburay, B., Munstermann, S., Geysen, D., Bell-Sakyi, L., Ceesay, A., Bodaan, C., Jongejan, F. (2005). Point Seroprevalence Survey of Ehrlichia ruminantium Infection in Small Ruminants in The Gambia. CVI 12: 508-512 [Abstract] [Full Text]