Seroprevalence of Trypanosoma evansi Infection in Water Buffaloes from the Mountainous Region of North Vietnam and Effectiveness of Trypanocidal Drug Treatment

Abstract

Water buffalo (WB) is an important domestic animal in Vietnam. This study utilized a card agglutination test to investigate seroprevalence of surra in WB population. Sera were collected from 585 WB from 4 different regions in Cao Bang and Thai Nguyen Provinces. Among them, 131 samples (22.4%) were positive for surra. The highest prevalence (24.6%) was found among 3 to 5 years old WB. Buffaloes less than 3 years old had the lowest prevalence (15.6%). Among 27 abortion cases, 9 WB (33.3%) were surra positive. For treatment of surra, Berenil^® demonstrated a 100% cure rate, while that of Trypamidium^® was only 40%. Our findings suggest that the current control strategy has not succeeded in reducing prevalence of surra in Vietnam.