Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (Elisa) Based Detection of Antibodies to Mycoplasma bovis in Cattle Naturally Infected with Haemoparasites in Institutional farms in Sokoto State, Nigeria

This was a cross-sectional study involving cattle from four (4) institutional farms (Prison farm, Livestock Investigation and Breeding Centre (LIBC), Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching and Research (UDUTRF) and K ebbe Cattle Ranch (KCR) in Sokoto state, Nigeria. A total of 62 cattle comprising 49 females and 13 males were randomly selected and bled from a total population of 205. The cattle sampled were local breeds comprising Gudali, Rahaji, White-Fulani and their crosses. They were aged 1-10 years and are managed semi-intensively. The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used for the detection M. bovis antibody. Of the 62 cattle screened, M. bovis antibody was detected in 41(66%). Also, 24 out of the 41 M. bovis positive cattle were found infected with haemoparasites. Similarly, 11 out of the 21 serologically negative cattle were infected with one or more haemoparasites. Seven (17%), 3 (7.3%) and 7 (17%) of the M. bovis positive cattle were infected with Babesia bigemina, Anaplasma marginale, and or B. bigemina and A. marginale respectively. In the overall, 27 of the 62 screened cattle were infected with one of blood parasites or a combination of both. How ever, there is no significant statistical relationship (p> 0.05) between the number of cattle positive for M. bovis and the presence of haemoparasites among the examined cattle.