Tick-borne diseases of livestock in Italy: general review and results of recent studies carried out in the Apulia region.

This paper reviews basic information on the knowledge of tick-borne diseases, babesiosis, anaplasmosis and theileriosis, in horses, cattle, sheep and goats in Italy with particular reference to the southern part of the country. It is stressed that there is limited knowledge about the parasite species present, their vectors, distribution, prevalence and impact on livestock production and there is the need to assess their epidemiology. A study carried out in the Apulia region to assess the prevalence of Anaplasma marginale infection in 1,648 cattle showed a seroprevalence of 17% using the Card Agglutination Test. In another study in the same region a microscopic prevalence of 78% for Theileria spp. was found in 60 cows. Afterwards using the IFAT test the Theileria sp. was identified as Theileria buffeli/orientalis.