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Epidemiological status of East Coast fever in two cattle herds derived from different farming systems in North-Kivu Province, Democratic Republic of Congo

Abstract:

The aim of this study was to assess the epidemiological state of East Coast fever (ECF) in North-Kivu by the follow-up (from October 2009 to September 2010) of two cohorts; the first was the freerange grazing system with indigenous cattle and the second used crossbred cattle raised under a fenced grazing system. During the study, the mean monthly seropositivity to Theileria parva was very high (> 70 %) and this could suggest a state of enzootic stability in the two cohorts. However, the monthly ECF clinical incidence in indigenous cattle herd was very low (0%, CI95 % = 0-13 %), which suggested an enzootic stable state. In contrast, the herd of crossbred cattle seems to be in an enzootic unstable state because the monthly ECF clinical incidence was very high (70 %; IC95 % = 47-86 %). In this cohort, the median age at first contact to T. parva was about 6 months and the periods of seroconversion to T. parva coincided with peaks of adult R. appendiculatus activity. The state of enzootic stability requires very little control of the disease, but the treatment of clinical cases and the immunization of animals are essential in the enzootic unstable situation.