BOVINE ANAPLASMOSIS AND BABESIOSIS IN THE LESSER ANTILLES - RISK ASSESSMENT OF AN UNSTABLE EPIDEMIOLOGIC SITUATION

A seroepidemiological survey on tick-borne diseases of ruminants was c arried out on 11 islands of the Lesser Antilles from Grenada to St Mar tin. A total of 1 795 cattle were randomly sampled and sera tested for antibodies to anaplasmosis (Anaplasma marginale) and babesiosis (Babe sia bovis and B bigemina) using a dot-ELISA test. Except for anaplasmo sis, which was virtually absent from Guadeloupe, the seroprevalence of the 3 tick-borne diseases ranged from 18 to 71%. The epidemiologic si tuation was considered to be unstable in all of the study sites. The r isk of clinical outbreaks was high in all the islands except for B big emina in Montserrat and St Lucia and B bovis in St Lucia. The practica l consequences in terms of tick eradication, tick control, and vaccina tion are discussed.