Dipartimento di Medicina Veterinaria, Università degli studi di Sassari, Italy; Mediterranean Center for Disease Control (MCDC), University of Sassari, Italy.
Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Sardegna, Sassari, Italy.
Vet Parasitol Reg Stud Reports. 2020 Dec;22:100453. doi: 10.1016/j.vprsr.2020.100453. Epub 2020 Aug 25.
Tick-borne diseases (TBDs) caused by Theileria and Babesia spp. are common in tropical and subtropical regions. This study investigates the presence of Theileria and Babesia spp. in ruminants from a subtropical Mediterranean region (Sardinia, Italy), a hotspot for ticks infestations. A total of 141 blood samples from healthy and symptomatic ruminants (showing symptoms consistent with tick-borne disease) were screened using a polymerase chain reaction test based on the amplification of the 18 s rRNA fragment. A total of 19/50 sheep (38%), 34/43 bovine (79.1%), and 5/48 goats (10.4%) tested positive to Babesia/Theileria. Phylogenetic analysis assigned all sequences obtained from sheep to the T. ovis cluster, while bovine and goats sequence types grouped in the Theileria buffeli/sergenti/orientalis group. One sequence type, isolated from a symptomatic bovine, clustered with B. major. Information on presence and frequency of piroplasms in ruminants increase our knowledge about the circulation of these pathogens in Sardinian animals and add up to previous studies conducted in ticks in the same area. Results also highlight the importance of subtropical Mediterranean environments as hotspots for ruminants piroplasmosis with potential impact on Veterinary Health.
由泰勒虫和巴贝斯虫引起的蜱传疾病（TBDs）在热带和亚热带地区很常见。本研究调查了来自亚热带地中海地区（意大利撒丁岛）的反刍动物中泰勒虫和巴贝斯虫的存在情况，该地区是蜱虫滋生的热点地区。使用基于 18s rRNA 片段扩增的聚合酶链反应试验，对 141 份来自健康和有症状反刍动物（表现出与蜱传疾病一致的症状）的血液样本进行了筛查。共有 19/50 只绵羊（38%）、34/43 头牛（79.1%）和 5/48 只山羊（10.4%）对巴贝斯虫/泰勒虫检测呈阳性。系统发育分析将从绵羊中获得的所有序列分配到 T. ovis 簇，而牛和山羊的序列类型则归入 Theileria buffeli/sergenti/orientalis 组。从一只有症状的牛中分离出的一种序列类型与 B. major 聚类。关于反刍动物中梨形虫的存在和频率的信息增加了我们对这些病原体在撒丁岛动物中循环的了解，并补充了在同一地区进行的蜱虫研究。研究结果还强调了亚热带地中海环境作为反刍动物梨形虫病热点的重要性，这可能对兽医健康产生影响。
