Molecular detection of Theileria annulata in ixodid ticks in northwest of Iran

Year 2020, Vetexpo-2019, KHVD-2019, 55 - 55, 31.03.2020

Ahmad Nematollahi İraj Panahi Solin Ghaderi Tina Daneshrad

Abstract

Ixodid ticks transmit various protozoan diseases in animals such as theileriosis that cause a lot of economic
loss in livestock industry. The purpose of the present study was to detect Theileria annulata infection in
ticks in cattle in Urmia district in North West of Iran. One hundred ticks were collected from some
suspected flocks with history of theileriosis and were transported to laboratory. Taxonomic identification
was done based on morphological characteristic. Ten tick species were found: Hyalomma anatolicum
anatolicum (29%), Hyalomma aegyptium (16%), Boophyls anulatus (16%), Dermacentor marginatum
(14%), Rhipicephalus bursa (9%), Dermacentor niveus (4%), Ornithodorus lahuransis(4%), Hyalomma
anantolicum excavatum(3%), Rhipicephalus sanguinus (2%) and Haemaphysalis punctate (1%).Salivary
glands of ticks were isolated and examined using specific primers from the major merozoite-piroplasm
surface antigen sequence of T. annulata (Tams-1) gene by PCR. Analysis of ticks by using PCR revealed
T. annulata in 65(65%) of evaluated ticks. The high rate of infestation in ticks to T. annulata identifies
the high risk of them to transporting the disease to cattle in North West of Iran and Hyalomma anatolicum
anatolicum is the first candidate for transmitting of the disease.

Keywords

Theileria annulata, PCR

References

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