Department of Parasitology, University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Lahore, 54000, Pakistan.
Single Cell Bioengineering Group, State Key Laboratory of Marine Resource Utilization in South China Sea, College of Oceanology, Hainan University, Haikou, 570228, Hainan, China.
Parasitol Res. 2023 Dec;122(12):2957-2965. doi: 10.1007/s00436-023-07985-2. Epub 2023 Oct 2.
This study aimed to determine the molecular prevalence and associated risk factors of theileriosis in sheep from Balochistan, Pakistan. For this purpose, a total of 408 blood samples were collected from tick-infested sheep in three different zones of Balochistan (i.e., Quetta, Zhob, and Loralai). All the collected samples were analyzed using conventional microscopy techniques, polymerase chain reaction (PCR), 18S small subunit rRNA gene sequencing, and phylogenetic analysis. The results of the microscopy and PCR confirmed the highest prevalence of Theileria species in district Zhob (14.22% and 15.68%) followed by district Loralai (11.52% and 13.97%) and district Quetta (10.29% and 12.00%), respectively. In addition, the prevalence of T. lestoquardi was higher in female sheep (84.12%), followed by adult sheep (74.71%) and the Hernai breed of sheep (28.23%) in the studied area. Similarly, the prevalence of theileriosis was higher in the summer season (40.59%), followed by the spring, autumn, and winter seasons. However, numerous risk factors such as age, sex, area, season, and breeds of the sheep were not significantly correlated (P > 0.05) with the presence of T. lestoquardi, except tick abundance and feeding pattern of animals (P < 0.05). Furthermore, sequencing and phylogenetic analyses of the isolated T. lestoquardi displayed 99% sequence similarity with isolates from Germany, Egypt, Iraq, India, Iran, and Pakistan. Altogether these results showed that T. lestoquardi is the main species causing ovine theileriosis in Balochistan. As a result, large-scale studies are required to design practical control approaches to reduce the risk of theileriosis infection in Balochistan, Pakistan.
本研究旨在确定巴基斯坦俾路支省绵羊泰勒虫病的分子流行率和相关风险因素。为此，从俾路支省三个不同地区（奎达、佐布和洛拉莱）的受蜱虫感染的绵羊中采集了总共 408 份血液样本。所有采集的样本均采用传统显微镜技术、聚合酶链反应（PCR）、18S 小亚基 rRNA 基因测序和系统发育分析进行分析。显微镜和 PCR 的结果证实，在佐布地区（14.22%和 15.68%），洛拉莱地区（11.52%和 13.97%）和奎达地区（10.29%和 12.00%），泰勒虫属的流行率最高。此外，在研究区域中，雌性绵羊（84.12%）的 Hernai 绵羊品种（28.23%）中，Hernai 绵羊品种（28.23%）中，Hernai 绵羊品种（28.23%）中，Hernai 绵羊品种（28.23%）中，Hernai 绵羊品种（28.23%）中，Hernai 绵羊品种（28.23%）中，Hernai 绵羊品种（28.23%）中，Hernai 绵羊品种（28.23%）中，Hernai 绵羊品种（28.23%）中，Hernai 绵羊品种（28.23%）中，Hernai 绵羊品种（28.23%）中，Hernai 绵羊品种（28.23%）中，Hernai 绵羊品种（28.23%）中，Hernai 绵羊品种（28.23%）中，Hernai 绵羊品种（28.23%）中，Hernai 绵羊品种（28.23%）中，Hernai 绵羊品种（28.23%）中，Hernai 绵羊品种（28.23%）中，Hernai 绵羊品种（28.23%）中，Hernai 绵羊品种（28.23%）中，Hernai 绵羊品种（28.23%）中，Hernai 绵羊品种（28.23%）中，Hernai 绵羊品种（28.23%）中，Hernai 绵羊品种（28.23%）中，Hernai 绵羊品种（28.23%）中，Hernai 绵羊品种（28.23%）中，Hernai 绵羊品种（28.23%）中，Hernai 绵羊品种（28.23%）中，Hernai 绵羊品种（28.23%）中，Hernai 绵羊品种（28.23%）中，Hernai 绵羊品种（28.23%）中，Hernai 绵羊品种（28.23%）中，Hernai 绵羊品种（28.23%）中，Hernai 绵羊品种（28.23%）中，Hernai 绵羊品种（28.23%）中，Hernai 绵羊品种（28.23%）中，Hernai 绵羊品种（28.23%）中，Hernai 绵羊品种（28.23%）中，Hernai 绵羊品种（28.23%）中，Hernai 绵羊品种（28.23%）中，Hernai 绵羊品种（28.23%）中，Hernai 绵羊品种（28.23%）中，Hernai 绵羊品种（28.23%）中，Hernai 绵羊品种（28.23%）中，Hernai 绵羊品种（28.23%）中，Hernai 绵羊品种（28.23%）中，Hernai 绵羊品种（28.23%）中，Hernai 绵羊品种（28.23%）中，Hernai 绵羊品种（28.2
