First report and molecular characterization of Trypanosoma vivax in cattle from state of Pernambuco, Brazil

This paper describes an outbreak of Trypanosoma vivax for the first time in the state of Pernambuco, Brazil, affecting dairy cattle in the municipality of Itambé in the northern coastal zone of the state. Clinical signs compatible with infection by blood protozoa and epidemic miscarriages were observed. The diagnosis of T. vivax was confirmed through biometric microscopy and molecular analysis with PCR and DNA sequencing. The T. vivax isolate detected in the present study proved to be genetically very close to other Brazilian isolates of the protozoan despite being geographically distant.