Data on the implication of the stable fly (Stomoxys calcitrans, Diptera: Muscidae), in the transmission of Anaplasma marginale in tick-free cattle is scarce. Hence, the objective of this investigation was to detect the presence of DNA from A. marginale in stable flies caught near a bovine herd, which has been maintained free of ticks for 40 years, and occasionally presents some clinical cases of anaplasmosis. Twenty-four batches of S. calcitrans (15 flies each) were collected in the morning and in the afternoon twice a week (except for one catch in one week of September and one catch in one week of December) during 12 catching days in a period of four months. Their DNA was obtained and analysed by nested PCR (nPCR) to identify the presence of A. marginale DNA. Seven of the batches (29.16 %) were positive for A. marginale, as detected by an nPCR that targets the A. marginale msp5 gene. Similarly, in two out of 12 catching days (16.66 %), those S. calcitrans batches collected in the morning and in the afternoon, were positive for A. marginale, while those S. calcitrans groups collected in three out of 12 catching days (25 %), were positive for the rickettsia. The obtained results suggest that A. marginale transmission is carried out mechanically by S. calcitrans, favouring the circulation and maintenance of the microorganism in this particular bovine herd.
Molecular detection of Anaplasma marginale in stable flies Stomoxys calcitrans (Diptera: Muscidae) feeding on a tick-free bovine herd