Veterinary Research Forum

Molecular detection and phylogenetic analysis of Borrelia spp. from sheep and goats blood samples in West Azerbaijan province, Iran

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Ahmad Enferadi 1
Abdulghaffar Ownagh 1
Musa Tavassoli 2

1 Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Urmia University, Iran

2 Department of Pathobiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Urmia University, Iran

https://doi.org/10.30466/vrf.2023.2000526.3855
Abstract
Borrelia species are spirochetes transmitted by ticks that are important in human and animals. In most countries, there is still no molecular epidemiology of borreliosis in ruminants. This study was aimed to evaluate the existence of Borrelia spp. DNA in the blood samples of small ruminants using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method in West Azerbaijan Province, Iran. To detect Borrelia spp. DNA, about 1,018 ruminants (456 goats and 562 sheep) blood samples were examined from different bioclimatic regions in West Azerbaijan province, Iran. The DNA extracting and PCR were conducted. In sheep, the following prevalence rates were respectively obtained for the 16S rRNA, 5S - 23S rRNA and ospA genes: 3.55% (20/562), 2.13% (12/562) and 0.88% (5/562). And so, the prevalence rates of the genes in goats were 0.87% (4/456) for 5S - 23S rRNA gene, 1.75% (8/456) for 16S rRNA gene and 0.65% (3/456) for ospA gene. The prevalence of Borrelia spp. was significantly different in small ruminants based on the farms and localities. The sheep and goats in humid areas (north of West Azerbaijan) were infected statistically more than those in sub-humid areas (south of West Azerbaijan). It is demonstrated that host species like sheep and goats may have a key role in natural Lyme disease cycles and other borreliosis diseases in Iran.

Keywords

Blood
Borrelia spp
Goat
Polymerase chain reaction
Sheep
Subjects
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Veterinary Research Forum
Volume 15, Issue 2
February 2024
Pages 89-95

  • Receive Date 19 April 2023
  • Revise Date 14 June 2023
  • Accept Date 23 August 2023

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