Abstract
Abstract
A survey was carried out to determine the prevalence of haemoparasites and of heartwater - Ehrlichia ruminantium infection in goats in four ecological regions of Mozambique, from November 2016 to October 2017 in Tete and Cabo Delgado, from November 2016 to October 2018 in Maputo, and from November 2016 to May 2018 in Gaza. It has been demonstrated in this study that infections by A. ovis and T. ovis are common in goats in Mozambique. Although the literature indicates low or nonpathogenicity, further studies on the role that these parasites play in goats from smallholder farms should be considered. Serological testing to detect antibodies against E. ruminantium showed the presence of high levels of infection rates by this organism in Maputo, Gaza and Cabo Delgado. In Tete, however, a low prevalence of cowdriosis was observed, which probably indicates that goats are highly susceptible to the disease. In conclusion, the epidemiological data provided here on haemoparasites in goats of Mozambique demonstrate that the occurrence of A. ovis and T. ovis are common in goats in Mozambique. Its importance, however, was not determined. The importance of cowdriosis could be related to the impossibility to transfer animals from Tete Province, where they exist in large numbers, to the other regions of the country where cowdriosis is endemic, since no vaccination against cowdriosis is applied routinely in this country.