Tick-borne Diseases in Sheep and Goats in Pakistan: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Aqsa Mushtaq; Tehniat Shoukat; Tanzila Mumtaz; Muhammad Qasim; Kiran Ajmal; Nayab Fatima; Aisha Khan; Misbah Kouser; Nazeer Hussain; Sadia Selim Khan; Mohammed Sohail Afzal; Sami Simsek; Haroon Ahmed

doi:10.1007/s11686-021-00396-2

Tick-borne Diseases in Sheep and Goats in Pakistan: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Acta Parasitol. 2021 Dec;66(4):1316-1325. doi: 10.1007/s11686-021-00396-2. Epub 2021 May 15.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Infectious Diseases Division, Department of Biosciences, COMSATS University Islamabad (CUI), Islamabad, Pakistan.
² Department of Economics, Finance and Statistics, Jönköping International Business School, Jönköping University, Jönköping, Sweden.
³ Department of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Management and Technology (UMT), Lahore, Pakistan.
⁴ Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Firat, 23119, Elazig, Turkey.
⁵ Infectious Diseases Division, Department of Biosciences, COMSATS University Islamabad (CUI), Islamabad, Pakistan. haroonahmad12@yahoo.com.

PMID: 33990896
DOI: 10.1007/s11686-021-00396-2

Abstract

Background: Ticks are blood-sucking ectoparasites and transmit various types of protozoal, bacterial, and viral diseases in a wild as well as domestic animals and humans globally. Only a few published reports are avaliable on the prevalence of tick-borne diseases in sheep and goats in Pakistan.

Aim and objective: The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to evaluate the prevalence (2000-2020) of tick-borne disease (theileriosis, babesiosis, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever infection, and anaplasmosis) in sheep and goats in Pakistan.

Methods: A systematic review of articles published in English language (since 2000-2020) was conducted using PubMed and Google Scholar. Diagnostic methods used in the original reference articles were PCR, PCR-RLB, microscopy, and ELISA.

Results: The overall prevalence of theileriosis, babesiosis, anaplasmosis, and Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) infections was 15.40%, 21.18%, 26.78%, and 11.62%, respectively. The prevalence of anaplasmosis was 22.06% (90/408) in sheep, 21.11% (76/360) in goats, and 40% (120/300) in both sheep and goats with substantial differences (P < 0.001). The prevalence of babesiosis among sheep was 29.88% (104/348) with highly significant differences (P < 0.001), in goats was 29.88% (25/60) with slightly significant differences (P < 0.031%), and in both sheep and goats were 7% (21/300) with highly significant differences (P < 0.001) according to subgroup analysis. The percentage of prevalence of theileriosis was 17.70% (207/1169) in sheep with highly substantial differences (P < 0.001), 4.51% (31/687) in goats with significant differences (P < 0.133), and 25% (125/500) in both sheep and goats with a significant difference among them (P < 0.001). The prevalence of CCHF among sheep was 18.63% (149/800) and 4.63% (37/800) in goats, respectively. The widely used detection method was microscopy (45.56%) followed by ELISA (38.38%), PCR (12.56%), and PCR-RLB (3.48%) test, respectively. This is a comprehensive report on the status of tick-borne disease in sheep and goats in Pakistan.

Conclusion: Based on our results, among tick-borne diseases anaplasmosis had the highest prevalence rate in sheep and goats. Due to its high prevalence, control measures should be taken to diagnose and prevent it.

Keywords: Goat; Meta-analysis; Pakistan; Sheep; Tick-borne diseases.

Publication types

Meta-Analysis
Systematic Review

MeSH terms

Animals
Goat Diseases* / epidemiology
Goats
Hemorrhagic Fever Virus, Crimean-Congo*
Hemorrhagic Fever, Crimean*
Pakistan / epidemiology
Sheep
Sheep Diseases* / epidemiology
Tick-Borne Diseases* / epidemiology
Tick-Borne Diseases* / veterinary