Browsing by Autor "J. A. C. Pereira"

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Antibody Response to an Anti‐rabies Vaccine in a Dog Population under Field Conditions in Bolivia
(Wiley, 2008) K. Suzuki; Ester Teresa González; G. Ascarrunz; Ariel Loza Vega; M. Pérez; Gonzalo Ruíz-Filippi; L. Rojas; Kristen Clancy Mancilla; J. A. C. Pereira; J. A. Guzmán
Rabies remains an important public health issue in Bolivia, South America. Public concern and fears are most focussed on dogs as the source of rabies. The objective of the present study was to assess immunity of an inactivated suckling mouse brain vaccine against canine rabies used for the official vaccination campaigns under field conditions in an endemic area of rabies in Bolivia. A total of 236 vaccinated and 44 unvaccinated dogs in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, selected using stratified random sampling, were investigated in order to obtain owned dog characteristics and antibody titres against rabies in April 2007. The proportion of vaccinated dogs with an antibody titre exceeded the protection threshold value of 0.5 EU/ml was 58% [95% confidence intervals (CI): 52-65], indicating that vaccination is likely to elicit an antibody response (odds ratio 6.3, 95% CI: 1.2-11.5). The range of geometric mean of antibody titre for vaccinated dogs (0.89 EU/ml; 95% CI: 0.75-1.04) was considered to meet the minimal acceptable level indicating an adequate immune response to the vaccine. However, the titre level was not satisfactory in comparison with the results from other field investigations with inactivated tissue culture vaccines. It is recommended for public health authorities to (1) consider modernizing their vaccine manufacturing method because the level of immunity induced by the current vaccine is comparably low, (2) conduct frequent vaccination campaigns to maintain high levels of vaccination coverage, and (3) actively manage the domestic dog population in the study area, which is largely responsible for rabies maintenance.
Antibody seroprevalences against rabies in dogs vaccinated under field conditions in Bolivia
(Springer Science+Business Media, 2008) K. Suzuki; Marcelo Ricardo Ítalo Pecoraro; Ariel Loza Vega; M. Pérez; Gonzalo Ruíz-Filippi; G. Ascarrunz; L. Rojas; Anabely Estevez; J. A. Guzmán; J. A. C. Pereira
Descriptive spatial and spatio-temporal analysis of the 2000–2005 canine rabies endemic in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia
(Elsevier BV, 2007) K. Suzuki; J. A. C. Pereira; Ronald López; G Morales; L. Rojas; Luciano E. Mutinelli; E. Pons
Detection of Bovine Leukemia Virus in Argentine, Bolivian, Paraguayan and Cuban Native Cattle Using a Quantitative Real-Time PCR Assay-BLV-CoCoMo-qPCR-2
(Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute, 2025) Guillermo Giovambattista; Aronggaowa Bao; Olivia Marcuzzi; Ariel Loza Vega; J. A. C. Pereira; María Florencia Ortega Masagué; L Castro; Rubén D. Martínez; Odalys Uffo; Yoko Aida
Bovine leukemia virus (BLV), an oncogenic retrovirus of the genus Deltaretrovirus, causes enzootic bovine leukosis (EBL), the most prevalent neoplastic disease in cattle and a major source of economic loss. While BLV prevalence has been studied in commercial breeds, data on native Latin American cattle remain limited. This study assessed BLV infection and proviral load in 244 animals from six native breeds: Argentine Creole (CrAr), Patagonian Argentine Creole (CrArPat), Pampa Chaqueño Creole (CrPaCh), Bolivian Creole from Cochabamba (CrCoch), Saavedreño Creole (CrSaa), and Siboney (Sib), sampled across Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay, and Cuba. BLV-CoCoMo-qPCR-2 assay detected BLV provirus in 76 animals (31.1%), with a mean load of 9923 copies per 105 cells (range: 1-79,740). Infection rates varied significantly by breed (9.8% in CrAr to 83.8% in CrPaCh) and country (15.6% in Argentina to 83.8% in Paraguay) (p = 9.999 × 10-5). Among positives, 57.9% exhibited low proviral load (≤1000 copies), and 13.2% showed moderate levels (1001-9999), suggesting potential resistance to EBL progression. This is the first comprehensive report of BLV proviral load in Creole cattle across Latin America, offering novel epidemiological insights and highlighting the importance of native breeds in BLV surveillance.
Divergent adaptation to highland and tropical environments in Bolivian Creole cattle
(Elsevier BV, 2025) Olivia Marcuzzi; Paulo Álvarez Cecco; Leónidas H. Olivera; J. A. C. Pereira; Francisco Calcaterra; Ariel Loza Vega; Pilar Peral García; María Elena Fernández; A. Rogberg‐Muñoz; Guillermo Giovambattista
Genetic diversity of BoLA-DRB3 in Latin American Creole cattle: an update of the state of the art
(Springer Science+Business Media, 2025) Olivia Marcuzzi; Guillermo Giovambattista; Ariel Loza Vega; J. A. C. Pereira; María Florencia Ortega Masagué; L Castro; Rubén D. Martínez; Odalys Uffo Reinosa; Aronggaowa Bao; Sonoko Watanuki
Genetic diversity of the bovine leukocyte antigen BoLA-DRB3 gene has been reported in cattle breeds due to its central role in immune response. However, the gene has been characterized in only a few Latin American native cattle breeds. In this study, we aimed to investigate the genetic diversity of this gene in other native bovine breeds from Argentina, Bolivia, Cuba, and Paraguay, thereby contributing to the global knowledge regarding BoLA-DRB3 diversity. The gene was genotyped using PCR-sequence-based typing; 60 reported alleles and one novel variant were identified. The observed and expected heterozygosity values were higher than 0.81, and only two populations showed deviation from the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. The Slatkin neutrality test indicated even allele distribution in one population. Nucleotide diversity and the number of pairwise differences ranged from 0.073 to 0.081 and 17.88 to 20.19, respectively. The mean number of non-synonymous and synonymous nucleotide substitutions was estimated for the entire sequence and the antigen-binding site (ABS), with higher values observed in the latter. Amino acid motifs varied in their frequencies, and the diversifying selection index (ω) at each amino acid was high in more than 25 sites, with the most prominent peaks located in the ABS. A distribution of native cattle according to their historical and geographical origin and degree of Zebu gene introgression demonstrated that the Latin American native populations exhibit high variability in the BoLA-DRB3 gene, including private alleles, and a distinct genetic profile, making them a valuable genetic resource and emphasizing the importance of their conservation.
Genetic diversity of Calpain 1 gene in Creole, Nellore and Brahman bovine breeds in Bolivia
(Asociación Latinoamericana de Producción Animal, 2022) J. A. C. Pereira; A.H. Falomir-Lockhart; Ariel Loza Vega; Egle E. Villegas‐Castagnasso; Pedro Rojas; M.H. Carino; Rodrigo Alberto Hoyos Sánchez; A. Rogberg‐Muñoz; Guillermo Giovambattista
In Bolivia, beef production is mainly based on two genotypes, Bos taurus (Creole cattle) and B. indicus (zebu), being weight gain the main selection criteria used by farmers. However, meat quality and especially tenderness must be incorporated in the selection process. Meat tenderness is partly determined by the calpain CAPN1)/ calpastatin (CAST) protein system. Thus, the objective of the present work was to determine and (compare the genetic variability of the CAPN1 gene in Creole (CreBo), Brahman (BraBo) and Nellore (NelBo) breeds in Bolivia. DNA was extracted from blood samples from 147 CreBo, 59 BraBo and 93 NelBo, and three polymorphisms were genotyped using ARMSPCR (CAPN1316 and CAPN14751) and PCRRFLP (CAPN1530). Furthermore, CAPN1316 and CAPN14751 SNPs were analyzed with Axiom™ Bos 1 Genotyping Array r3 and the Axiom™ ArBos 1 Genotyping Array. Allele frequencies associated with higher tenderness in CreBo, BraBo and NelBo were 0.22, 0 and 0.09 (CAPN1316 C; P < 0.001), 0.76, 0.16 and 0.08 (CAPN14751 C; P < 0.001), and 0.77, 0.92 and 0.94 (CAPN1530 G; P < 0.001). Linkage disequilibrium (LD) analysis revealed the presence of two LD blocks. Our results evidence that CreBo has a higher frequency of alleles associated with higher meat tenderness than the cebuine breeds. These markers could be used in breeding programs to improve Bolivian cattle herd meat quality either by selection within Creole breeds or crosses with cebuine cattle
Genomic analysis of inbreeding level, kinship and breed relationships in Creole cattle from South America
(Wiley, 2024) Olivia Marcuzzi; Francisco Calcaterra; Ariel Loza Vega; María Florencia Ortega Masagué; Eileen Armstrong; J. A. C. Pereira; Eugenio Jara; Leónidas H. Olivera; Pilar Peral García; Guillermo Giovambattista
The conservation of animal genetic resources refers to measures taken to prevent the loss of genetic diversity in livestock populations, including the protection of breeds from extinction. Creole cattle populations have suffered a drastic reduction in recent decades owing to absorbent crosses or replacement with commercial breeds of European or Indian origin. Genetic characterization can serve as a source of information for conservation strategies to maintain genetic variation. The objective of this work was to evaluate the levels of inbreeding and kinship through the use of genomic information. A total of 903 DNAs from 13 cattle populations from Argentina, Bolivia and Uruguay were genotyped using an SNP panel of 48 K. Also, a dataset of 76 K SNPs from Peruvian Creole was included. Two inbreeding indices (FROH and Fhat2) and kinship relationships were calculated. In addition, effective population size (Ne), linkage disequilibrium, population composition and phylogenetic relationships were estimated. In Creole cattle, FROH ranged from 0.14 to 0.03, and Fhat2 was close to zero. The inferred Ne trends exhibited a decline toward the present for all populations, whereas Creole cattle presented a lower magnitude of Ne than foreign breeds. Cluster analysis clearly differentiated the taurine and Zebu components (K2) and showed that Bolivian Creole cattle presented Zebu gene introgression. Despite the population reduction, Creole populations did not present extreme values of consanguinity and kinship and maintain high levels of genetic diversity. The information obtained in this work may be useful for planning conservation programmes for these valuable local animal genetic resources.
Molecular Survey of Babesia and Anaplasma Infection in Cattle in Bolivia
(Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute, 2021) Shohei Ogata; J. A. C. Pereira; Ariel Loza Vega; Herbas Perez Gladys Carolina; Keita Matsuno; Yasuko Orba; Hirofumi Sawa; Fumihiko Kawamori; Nariaki Nonaka; Ryo Nakao
Latin American countries produce more than a quarter of the world's beef and are a major global supplier of livestock protein. Tick-borne diseases (TBDs) are a major constraint to the livestock industry worldwide, including in Latin America. The aim of this study was to detect and characterise tick-borne pathogens in cattle from Santa Cruz, Bolivia, where no detailed epidemiological data are available. Blood samples were collected from 104 cattle. Apicomplexan parasites were detected by nested PCR amplification of the 18S ribosomal RNA gene (rDNA), and Anaplasmataceae was screened by the PCR amplification of 16S rDNA, followed by characterisation based on the heat shock protein and citrate synthase gene sequences. Babesia infection was observed in nine cattle (one Babesia bovis and eight Babesia bigemina), while Anaplasmataceae infection was detected in thirty-two cattle. A sequencing analysis confirmed the presence of Anaplasma marginale and Anaplasma platys-like. These results provide the first molecular evidence for the four above-mentioned tick-borne pathogens in cattle in Bolivia. This information improves our understanding of the epidemiology of TBDs and will help in formulating appropriate and improved pathogen control strategies.
Rabies‐vaccination Coverage and Profiles of the Owned‐dog Population in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia
(Wiley, 2008) K. Suzuki; J. A. C. Pereira; Luiz Armando de Medeiros Frias; Ronald López; Luciano E. Mutinelli; E. Pons
The Bolivian government issued a regulation for rabies control in November 2005, owing to increasing the prevalence of dog and human rabies cases in recent years. An assessment of rabies-vaccination coverage and other factors that might influence the success of the on-going vaccination campaign was needed. The objective of this study was to investigate dog rabies vaccination coverage and risk factors associated with dogs being unvaccinated against rabies, and profiles of the owned-dog population in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia, where dog rabies was endemic. Mainly due to logistical reasons, the WHO's expanded programme on immunization cluster-survey method was used. The 390 households were included in the study. Information about dog population and management characteristics was obtained for 542 dogs from 301 households. On average, households had 1.4 dogs and 1.8 dogs per dog-owning household (median = 1). The human-to-dog ratio was 4.6 : 1. During the last 1 year prior to the study, of the 539 dogs aged >or=1 month, 463 (85%; 95% CI 79-91; design effect 3.6) were classified as vaccinated. Amongst the study dogs, dogs aged 1-11 months were the higher risk of dogs not being vaccinated (OR = 8.2; 95% CI 4.3-15.6; P < 0.01). Almost two-thirds of the study dogs were allowed to roam freely throughout the day or in part. Community education efforts should address the importance of dog ownership and movement restriction, and the need to vaccinate young dogs.
<scp>BoLA‐DRB3</scp> genetic diversity in Highland Creole cattle from Bolivia
(Wiley, 2020) Guillermo Giovambattista; Shin‐nosuke Takeshima; Kyaw Kyaw Moe; J. A. C. Pereira; Meripet Polat; Ariel Loza Vega; Orlando N. Arce Cabrera; Yoko Aida
The genetic diversity of the BoLA-DRB3 gene has been reported in different cattle breeds owing to its central role in the immune response. However, it is still unknown in hundreds of cattle breeds, especially native populations. Here, we studied BoLA-DRB3 genetic diversity in Highland Creole cattle (CrAl) from Western Bolivia, raised at altitudes between 3800 and 4200 m. DNAs from 48 CrAl cattle were genotyped for BoLA-DRB3 exon 2 alleles using polymerase chain reaction-sequence-based typing (PCR-SBT). The results were compared with 1341 previously reported data from Tropical Creole cattle and other breeds raised in the region. Twenty-three BoLA-DRB3 alleles were identified in CrAl, including the BoLA-DRB3*029:02 variant previously detected in other Creole cattle. Observed and expected heterozygosity were 0.87 and 0.93, respectively. Nucleotide diversity and the number of pairwise difference values were 0.078 and 19.46, respectively. The average number of nonsynonymous and synonymous substitutions were 0.037 and 0.097 for the entire BoLA-DRB3 exon 2, and 0.129 and 0.388 for the antigen-binding site, respectively. Venn analysis and the review of the IPD-MHC database and the literature showed that 2 of 64 alleles were only detected in CrAl, including BoLA-DRB3*029:01 previously reported in African cattle and *048:01 detected in Philippine cattle. Two additional alleles, BoLA-DRB3*007:02 and *029:02, were only present in CrAl and Lowland Creole cattle. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) showed that Bolivian Creole cattle breeds were closely located but they were distant from the Colombian Hartón del Valle Creole. FST analysis showed a low degree of genetic differentiation between Highland and Lowland Bolivian Creole cattle (FST = 0.015). The present results contribute to increasing our knowledge of BoLA-DRB3 genetic diversity in cattle breeds.
Seroprevalence Against Bovine Leukaemia Virus in Dairy Cattle in Bolivia
(2010) Ramón López; K. Suzuki; Ester Teresa González; Gotzone Ruiz; Ariel Loza Vega; C. Coca; J. A. C. Pereira; Marcelo Ricardo Ítalo Pecoraro
This study determined seroprevalence against bovine leukaemia virus and investigated the risk factors with the seropositivity of the virus in daily cattle in Bolivia. Ninety-eight farms in five different provinces in Santa Cruz Department were visited to study 1823 daily cattle. Questionnaire interviews, blood sampling and inspection of skin were performed at each study farm. Individual-cattle sera were analysed using the agarose gel immunodiffusion (AGID) diagnostic method for the detection of antibody against bovine leukaemia virus. The overall percentage of test positive against bovine leukaemia virus was 29% (95% confidence interval: 27-31%). One percent of the study daily cattle had the subcutaneous lesions. There were statistical differences for percentage of test positive against bovine leukaemia virus in daily cattle between provinces (p<0.001). The seropositivity in relation to the existence of subcutaneous lesions indicated statistical significance (p = 0.023). Knowledge of the provincial difference of seropositivity against bovine leukaemia virus in daily cattle would be used to determine the resource allocation for preventive measures in the study area. In the preventive measures, serological tests against bovine leukaemia virus for the cattle with subcutaneous lesions, which would be a potential indicator of the infection of bovine leukaemia, should be prioritised.