BRIEF RESEARCH REPORT article
Front. Vet. Sci.
Sec. Veterinary Epidemiology and Economics
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fvets.2025.1661387
This article is part of the Research TopicEpidemiology, prevention, and control of animal diseases in the “stan” countries of Central AsiaView all 8 articles
Serological Surveillance of Trypanosoma evansi in Kazakhstani Camels by Complement Fixation and Formalin Gel Tests
Provisionally accepted
Zhandos Abay1
Zhadra Kudaibergenova1,2Alim Bizhanov1Maksat Serikov1Salika Berdiakhmetkyzy1Altynai Arysbekova1Roza Aitlessova1Temir Smadil1Serikbay Kadyrov1Berik Lessov1Rano Sattarova1Serik Kanatbayev1Bolat Shalabayev1Kuandyk Shynybayev1Nurkuisa Rametov3Nurlan Ahkmetsadykov1,4
Han Sang Yoo5Nurgul Sikhayeva6Aralbek Rsaliyev6Yergali Abduraimov6Markhabat Kassenov1
Ainur Nurpeisova1*- 1Kazakh Scientific Research Veterinary Institute, Almaty, Kazakhstan
- 2Kazakh National Agrarian Research University, Almaty, Kazakhstan
- 3K I Satbayev Kazakh National Research Technical University, Almaty, Kazakhstan
- 4Scientific and Production Enterprise “Antigen” LLP, Kazakhstan, Almaty, Kazakhstan
- 5College of Veterinary Medicine, Seoul National University, Republic of Korea, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- 6National Holding “Qazbiopharm” JSC, Kazakhstan, Astana, Kazakhstan
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Surra, caused by Trypanosoma evansi, is a significant vector-borne disease of camels that leads to substantial economic losses in affected regions. This study aimed to determine the seroprevalence of surra among dromedary (Camelus dromedarius) and Bactrian (Camelus bactrianus) camels in the Mangystau, Kyzylorda, and Turkestan regions of Kazakhstan between January and May 2024, using serological methods to detect antibodies against T. evansi. A cross-sectional survey was conducted, and a total of 2,773 camel serum samples (1,045 males and 1,728 females) were collected and tested using the complement fixation test and the formol gel test (FGT). Chi-square tests were applied to compare seroprevalence across age groups, sexes, and regions as potential risk factors. Overall, T. evansi antibodies were detected in 113 camels (4.07%; 95% CI: 3.36–4.86) by CFT and in 276 camels (9.95%; 95% CI: 8.88–11.13) by FGT. Old camels (>12 years) showed the highest seroprevalence, with 5.93% positive by CFT and 26.27% positive by FGT, followed by mature adults (6–12 years), young adults (3–6 years), and juveniles (<3 years). Seroprevalence was significantly higher in females than in males (CFT: 4.69% vs. 3.06%; FGT: 10.47% vs. 9.09%, p = 0.046). Regional differences were also noted, with the highest rates observed in Mangystau by FGT (65.0%). These findings confirm that camel surra is present at endemic levels in the surveyed regions. The two tests proved effective for large-scale screening of T. evansi, and the FGT, due to its higher sensitivity, can be recommended as the preferred tool for field surveillance.
Keywords: Trypanosoma evansi, Surra, camel, seroprevalence, Complement fixation test, Formalin Gel Test, vector-borne diseases, Antibodies
Received: 07 Jul 2025; Accepted: 08 Sep 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Abay, Kudaibergenova, Bizhanov, Serikov, Berdiakhmetkyzy, Arysbekova, Aitlessova, Smadil, Kadyrov, Lessov, Sattarova, Kanatbayev, Shalabayev, Shynybayev, Rametov, Ahkmetsadykov, Yoo, Sikhayeva, Rsaliyev, Abduraimov, Kassenov and Nurpeisova. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Ainur Nurpeisova, Kazakh Scientific Research Veterinary Institute, Almaty, Kazakhstan
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