Vet World   Vol.16   March-2023  Article-19

Molecular prevalence and phylogenetic confirmation of bovine trichomoniasis in aborted cows in Iraq

Background and Aim: Bovine trichomoniasis, caused by Tritrichomonas foetus, is a venereal disease that is distributed in many countries, including Iraq. Compared with other abortive infectious diseases, prevalence of T. foetus is expected to be relatively low in the field by veterinarians. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of T. foetus in aborted cows by conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and phylogenetic analysis of local T. foetus isolates was documented in the National Center for Biotechnology Information as the first sequenced isolates from Iraq.

Materials and Methods: Vaginal fluids were collected from 62 aborted cows and examined by PCR. Data were reported for the following parameters: Vital signs (body temperature and respiratory and pulse rates), age (<4, 4–8, and >8 years), reproductive health status (premature calving, embryonic death, pyometra, and healthy newborn), breed (pure or crossbred), type of breeding (natural or artificial), bull-to-cow ratio (1:<10, 1:10–20, and 1:>20), contact of cow with bull(s) from other farmers (yes or no), and contact with stray animals (dogs and cats).

Results: A total of 20.97% of aborted cows were positive for T. foetus. Phylogenetic analysis for 10 positive local T. foetus isolates demonstrated high identity with the Thai (MN560972.2) and Chinese (MH115435.1) isolates, with an identity range of 98.8%–99.5% and 98.6%–99.3%, respectively. Clinical data showed that the vital signs differed insignificantly between cows positive and negative for T. foetus. Prevalence and risk of infection increased significantly in <4-year-old, early calving, embryonic death, crossbred, and naturally inseminated cows that had direct contact with bulls from other farmers, and contact with stray animals. Fetal pneumonia and death of premature calves were significant among positive aborted fetuses.

Conclusion: Tritrichomonas foetus is highly prevalent in aborted cows in Iraq and phylogenetic analysis demonstrated an identity between the local and global isolates, that is, Thai and Chinese, of cats. Keywords: bovine-sexually transmitted disease, natural insemination, polymerase chain reaction, Tritrichomonas foetus, Wasit province.

Keywords: bovine-sexually transmitted disease, natural insemination, polymerase chain reaction, Tritrichomonas foetus, Wasit province.

How to cite this article: Gharban HAJ (2023) Molecular prevalence and phylogenetic confirmation of bovine trichomoniasis in aborted cows in Iraq, Veterinary World, 16(3): 580-587.

Received: 25-12-2022  Accepted: 07-02-2023     Published online: 22-03-2023

Corresponding author: Hasanain A. J. Gharban   E-mail: hghirban@uowasit.edu.iq

DOI: 10.14202/vetworld.2023.580-587

Copyright: Gharban HAJ, et al. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http:// creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.