Evidence for bovine besnoitiosis in Egypt—first serosurvey of Besnoitia besnoiti in cattle and water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) in Egypt

The present study evaluated the presence of specific antibodies against Besnoitia besnoiti in cattle and water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) in Egypt. Sera from cattle (n = 216) and water buffaloes (n = 133) collected from five different provinces of Egypt (Behera, Alexandria, Assuit, Gharbia, and Matrouh) were analyzed. Testing for B. besnoiti antibodies by PrioCHECK® Besnoitia Ab 2.0 ELISA initially identified 13.75 % (48 out of 349) of individual sera as positive at the manufacturer’s suggested cutoff threshold, 15 percent positivity (PP). Statistically significant associations between B. besnoiti prevalence, species, sex, age, and geographical distribution were observed. Seropositive animals were distributed in all of the provinces from which animals were sampled except Gharbia province. Assuit province showed the highest percentage of infection (30.76 %) followed by Matrouh, Alexandria, and Behera provinces (25, 16.29, and 9.6 %, respectively). The highest infection rate of B. besnoiti was significantly higher in cattle (17.13 %) than in water buffaloes (9.02 %). Positive cases were observed in all age categories. While the highest infection rate (17.13 %) was recorded in the age group 5–10 years followed by the age group 1–5 years (15.38 %), and only one positive case (1.58 %) was recorded in the age group less than 1 year. The highest infection rate of B. besnoiti infection was recorded in the female animals (14.95 %) followed by the male animals (8.33). This is the first report on the detection of B. besnoiti in cattle and water buffaloes in Egypt.