Protozoology Laboratory, Parasitology Department, Razi Vaccine and Serum Research Institute, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization(AREEO), Karaj, Alborz, Iran.
Protozoology Laboratory, Parasitology Department, Razi Vaccine and Serum Research Institute, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization(AREEO), Karaj, Alborz, Iran.
Exp Parasitol. 2022 Aug;239:108309. doi: 10.1016/j.exppara.2022.108309. Epub 2022 Jun 25.
Hepatozoon spp. are blood protozoans that can infect snakes. Infections with these parasites are found in more than 200 snake species and are considered to be the most frequent hemogregarines in snakes. In this study, a total of 73 dead snakes in captivity conditions, belonging to six different species, which were collected between June 2018 to October 2020 from different parts of Iran, were examined for the presence of blood parasites with microscopy and molecular methods. DNA was extracted from the removed heart, and PCR was done with two pairs of primers targeting the 18S rRNA gene. By microscopy, Hepatozoon spp. were detected in the heart blood of 29 out of the 73 (39.72%) snakes. From these 29 positive samples, eight were found to be positive using the PCR method. This study aimed to report for the first time the molecular characteristics of Hepatozoon spp. infecting venomous terrestrial snakes in Iran.
肝血孢子虫属是一种可以感染蛇类的血液原生动物。在 200 多种蛇类中发现了这些寄生虫的感染，它们被认为是蛇类中最常见的血鞭毛原虫。在这项研究中，总共检查了 73 条在圈养条件下死亡的蛇，这些蛇属于六个不同的物种，它们是在 2018 年 6 月至 2020 年 10 月期间从伊朗不同地区收集的，使用显微镜和分子方法检查血液寄生虫的存在。从取出的心脏中提取 DNA，使用针对 18S rRNA 基因的两对引物进行 PCR。通过显微镜检查，在 73 条蛇中的 29 条（39.72%）心脏血液中检测到肝血孢子虫属。在这 29 个阳性样本中，有 8 个使用 PCR 方法呈阳性。本研究旨在首次报道在伊朗感染有毒陆地蛇的肝血孢子虫属的分子特征。
