Tick-borne parasitic diseases in cattle: current knowledge and prospective risk analysis related to the ongoing evolution in French cattle farming systems

Abstract

Parasitic diseases, like babesiosis and theileriosis are transmitted by ticks: their occurrence is therefore linked to the size of the tick stock and the seasonality of the vectors. Babesia divergens bovine babesiosis transmitted by Ixodes ricinus is widespread and often reported in France. Serological prevalence is high, ranging from 20 to 80% according to the farms. Clinical incidence is low: around 0.4% for the whole cattle population. The endemic situation is unstable and clinical cases occur more frequently with farming system modifications. L. ricinus is a tick essentially found in woodlands and so, for the most part, is found in closed rural areas. The situation of the other bovine babesiosis (Babesia major) and theileriosis (Theileria orientalis) is not well documented in France. However, the epidemiology of parasitic diseases is changing, especially because of changes in the environmental characteristics, i.e. both farm and herd management conditions and also climatic conditions. These modifications can provoke an increase in the tick stocks, an increase in the contact rate between cattle and ticks, and an increase in the contact rate between cattle and the wild fauna, especially deer. This results in likely modifications of the endemic situation, with a higher risk of clinical babesiosis in the medium term.