Detection and molecular characterization of tick-borne pathogens infecting sheep and goats in Blue Nile and West Kordofan states in Sudan

Article Authors: Seung-Hun Lee, Ehab Mossaad, Abdalla Mohamed, Ibrahim Ahmed, Ali Ismail, Paul Franck Adjou Moumouni, Mingming Liu, Aaron Edmond Ringo, Yang Gao, Huan ping Guo, Jixu Li, Artemis Efstratiou Peter Musinguzi, Tamador E.E.Angara, Keisuke Suganuma, NoboruInoue,XuenanXuan

Abstract

Tick-borne pathogens (TBPs) are common in livestock of sub-Saharan Africa. However, information regarding
TBPs in sheep and goats in Sudan is limited. In this study, 178 blood samples of sheep and goats in Blue Nile and
West Kordofan states were investigated for TBPs using PCR. Overall, 110 (61.8%) samples were found to be
infected with at least one of the following pathogens: Anaplasma ovis, Theileria ovis, and Ehrlichia ruminantium.
Babesia ovis and T. lestoquardi were not identified. A. ovis was the most prevalent pathogen (n = 107, 60.1%),
followed by T. ovis (n = 23, 12.9%) and E. ruminantium (n = 1, 0.6%). The prevalence rates of A. ovis and T. ovis
were significantly higher in sheep than in goats. Phylogenetic analysis of T. ovis 18S rRNA and A. ovis msp4,
groEL, and 16S rRNA, revealed that the pathogens identified in this study are clustered together, indicating
similar molecular characteristics. Additionally, phylogenetic analysis of E. ruminantium pCS20 revealed that E.
ruminantium in this study belong to the West Africa group, and different to E. ruminantium previously identified
in ticks from Sudan. We concluded that TBPs are highly prevalent in the study area and continuous monitoring of
TBPs in sheep and goats in Sudan is highly required.

Keywords: Anaplasma ovis, Ehrlichia ruminantium, Sudan, Theileria ovis, Tick-borne disease

Bibliographical metadata

Journal Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases
Publisher Elsevier
Place of Publication Amsterdam
Volume 9
Issue No. 3
Pages 598-604
ISSN 1877-959X
DOI https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ttbdis.2018.01.014
License Copyright © 2021 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved
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Affiliation

  • National Research Center for Protozoan Diseases, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Obihiro, Hokkaido 080-8555, Japan
  • Research Center for Global Agromedicine, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Obihiro, Hokkaido 080-8555, Japan
  • Department of Pathology, Parasitology and Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Sudan University of Science and Technology, P.O. Box 204, Khartoum, Sudan
  • Abrar Research and Training Centre, Abrar University, Mogadishu, Somalia
  • College of Animal Production Science and Technology, Sudan University of Science and Technology, P.O. Box 204, Khartoum, Sudan
  • Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Obihiro, Hokkaido 080-8555, Japan

Links

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1877959X17305691?via%3Dihub

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