Theileria and Babesia infections in sheep and goats with abortion histories in East Azerbaijan Province, northwest Iran

Shahbazi, Parisa; Ayoubi, Reza; Khordadmehr, Monireh; Sadri, Hassan; Shirazi, Jafar; Akbari, Hamid; Hakimnejad, Alireza; Abdolmaleki, Ali

doi:10.22092/ari.2025.369670.3683

Theileria and Babesia infections in sheep and goats with abortion histories in East Azerbaijan Province, northwest Iran

Articles in Press

Document Type : Original Articles

Authors

¹ Department of Pathobiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tabriz, 516665-1647, Tabriz, Iran

² Department of Pathobiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran

³ Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tabriz, 516665-1647, Tabriz, Iran

⁴ Veterinary Organization, East Azerbaijan Province, Tabriz, Iran

10.22092/ari.2025.369670.3683

Abstract

Theileria and Babesia belong to a group of protozoan parasites known as Apicomplexa within the Piroplasmida order. Both Theileria and Babesia disrupt normal hematological functions in their respective hosts, causing hypoxia, anemia and systemic disease. Immunosuppressive effects associated with such infections may act to increase the susceptibility of pregnant animals to secondary infections and abortion. Thus, this study focused on the prevalence of Theileria and Babesia infections in sheep and goats with a recent abortion history in East Azerbaijan province, northwest Iran. For this purpose, a total of 373 blood samples from 43 flocks were collected from sheep and goat in nine cities of East-Azerbaijan province, in calving seasons (fall and winter 2023). The conventional PCR method associated with using the specific primers was employed for detection of the Theileria and Babesia genomes after extracting DNA from the whole blood samples. Molecular findings revealed the infection rates of 70.5% and 8.5% for Theileria and Babesia infections, respectively. Besides, the species including Theileria ovis (64.5%), Theileria lestoquardi (6%), and Babesia ovis (8.5%) were detected in the PCR positive samples. In conclusion, the detection of Theileria and Babesia infections with a much higher rate (particularly in the autumn and winter seasons), which can result in hypoxia and anemia, can play indirectly notable roles in the abortion of animals in East Azerbaijan. Therefore, the importance of efficient management practices (tick management strategies) to prevent and control of these infections aims at protecting the health and productivity of the small ruminants in this province.

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