ISSN: 0973-7510
E-ISSN: 2581-690X
A total of 165 blood samples were collected in k2EDTA-containing tubes and thin and thick smears of domestic ruminants were prepared. Direct sequencing of polymerase chain reaction for detection of Theileria spp. using specific oligonucleotide primers was performed on 18s rRNA gene sequence of the parasite in Qazvin province. Of the 165 field samples obtained from domestic ruminants in the study area tested, 9.69% (16) were positive for the presence of Theileria spp. by PCR and 2.42% by microscopic examination for Theileria spp. in field-collected. Out of 165 positive blood samples, 4.24% were positive for Theileria annulata and 5.45% were positive for Theileria ovis by PCR. The lowest detection limit of the PCR was two parasites per ml of infected blood, which corresponds with a parasitemia of 0.00004%. Results of the molecular study revealed that Theileria ovis is widespread in sheep and its prevalence was higher than Theileria annulata.
Theileria annulata, Theileri ovis, domestic ruminants, PCR
© The Author(s) 2012. Open Access. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License which permits unrestricted use, sharing, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made.