Molecular detection and characterization of and infecting cattle and buffalo in southern Egypt.

Tick-borne diseases have a major adverse effect on livestock worldwide, causing enormous economic losses in meat and milk production as well threatening animal and public health. In this study, we aimed to detect and characterize piroplasms isolated from cattle and buffalo in southern Egypt, using molecular techniques. Three hundred blood samples were collected from cattle and buffalo in two governorates in southern Egypt. All 300 samples (100%) were confirmed to contain DNA, as they exhibited bands of bovine gene at the expected 227 bp for cattle and buffalo. The samples were analyzed by PCR for the presence of piroplasms, specifically , , and . Samples positive for the gene were further examined for two additional genes, gene, to provide an enhanced degree of specificity for the identification of and , and the gene for The infection rate for piroplasma spp. was 60/300 (20%). The positivity rates were 10.7% (32/300) for , 5.3% (16/300) for , and 4% (12/300) for . By host species, 42/150 (28%) cattle and 18/150 (12%) buffalo were positive for piroplasms. None of the isolates sequenced for the isolates from buffalo in this study showed 100% identity with any sequence deposited in GenBank for the gene (maximum identity value = 99.74%). Similarly, no gene sequence identified in this study exhibited 100% identity with any sequence deposited in GenBank (maximum identity value = 99.89%). The current study provides a partial sequence of the gene, as well as the and genes, in cattle and buffalo in southern Egypt, and is the first report on these piroplasma genes in cattle and buffalo in southern Egypt.