A molecular survey of Basnoitia caprae in goats in the southwest, Iran

Sarkhosh, Omid; Keyvanlou, Asma; Razmi, Gholamreza

doi:10.22092/ari.2025.370362.3786

A molecular survey of Basnoitia caprae in goats in the southwest, Iran

Articles in Press

Document Type : Original Articles

Authors

¹ Department of Pathobiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine,Ferdowsi University of Mashhad,

² Department of Pathobiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad,

³ Department of Pathobiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran.

10.22092/ari.2025.370362.3786

Abstract

Introduction: Caprine besnoitiosis is a significant disease that leads to economic losses in goat herds due to its chronic nature and progressive weight loss. The disease is caused by Besnoitia caprae, which results in the formation of subcutaneous cysts in various parts of a goat's body. The disease has been reported in goats from the Fars and Kerman provinces, Iran. Given the proximity of Fars to Khuzestan province and the movement of nomadic sheep herds between these regions, we aimed to investigate the frequency of B. caprae in goats in the Behbahan area in Khuzestan province.
Materials &methods: In early autumn of 2022, a comprehensive inspection was conducted on 200 goat carcasses, focusing on their skin and eyes for the presence of Besnoitia cysts in Behbahan slaughterhouse, and then ear samples were obtained from each goat carcass. The samples were placed in containers with ethyl alcohol and transported to the parasitology laboratory at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine. The inner surfaces of the skin of the ear samples were scraped with a scalpel and transferred to microtubes. Subsequently, the samples were divided into 50 pooled samples. DNA was extracted from each sample using a commercial kit. Finally, the samples were analyzed using the PCR method.
Results: In this study, no Besnoitia cysts were found in goat carcasses. The PCR results indicated that 30% (15/50) were infected with B. caprae. Two positive samples were sent to a genetic company for sequencing. The samples sequenced were analyzed using BLAST software, revealing approximately 99% alignment with the recorded sequences of B. caprae in the gene bank.
Conclusions: The molecular findings of this study highlighted a high prevalence of B. caprae in goats in the Behbahan area, necessitating further research to assess the economic impact of besnoitiosis on the local goat population.

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