Molecular detection and phylogenetic analysis of Borrelia spp. from sheep and goats blood samples in West Azerbaijan province, Iran

Borrelia species are spirochetes transmitted by ticks that are important in human and animals. In most countries, there is still no molecular epidemiology of borreliosis in ruminants. This study was aimed to evaluate the existence of Borrelia spp. DNA in the blood samples of small ruminants using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method in West Azerbaijan Province, Iran. To detect Borrelia spp. DNA, about ۱,۰۱۸ ruminants (۴۵۶ goats and ۵۶۲ sheep) blood samples were examined from different bioclimatic regions in West Azerbaijan province, Iran. The DNA extracting and PCR were conducted. In sheep, the following prevalence rates were respectively obtained for the ۱۶S rRNA, ۵S - ۲۳S rRNA and ospA genes: ۳.۵۵% (۲۰/۵۶۲), ۲.۱۳% (۱۲/۵۶۲) and ۰.۸۸% (۵/۵۶۲). And so, the prevalence rates of the genes in goats were ۰.۸۷% (۴/۴۵۶) for ۵S - ۲۳S rRNA gene, ۱.۷۵% (۸/۴۵۶) for ۱۶S rRNA gene and ۰.۶۵% (۳/۴۵۶) for ospA gene. The prevalence of Borrelia spp. was significantly different in small ruminants based on the farms and localities. The sheep and goats in humid areas (north of West Azerbaijan) were infected statistically more than those in sub-humid areas (south of West Azerbaijan). It is demonstrated that host species like sheep and goats may have a key role in natural Lyme disease cycles and other borreliosis diseases in Iran.

Keywords:

Blood , Borrelia spp , Goat , Polymerase chain reaction , Sheep