Survey of vector-borne and nematode parasites involved in the etiology of anemic syndrome in sheep from Southern Brazil / Pesquisa de hemoparasitos transmitidos por vetores e nematódeos envolvidos na etiologia de síndrome anêmica em ovinos no Sul do Brasil
Although anemia has been historically linked to Haemonchus contortus infection, other infectious agents, such as hemotropic mycoplasmas and tick-borne disease pathogens, may also lead to anemic crisis in sheep. This study has aimed to investigate infections related to anemia in a sheep herd from Bandeirantes City, Paraná State, southern Brazil. Seven out of forty-two (16.6%; 95% CI 8.3230.6%) sheep were positive for hemoplasmas by a PCR targeting the 16S rRNAgene and all tested negative for A. marginale/A. ovis and Babesia/Theileria spp. by PCR based on msp4 and 18S rRNAgenes, respectively. Two (4.7%; 95% CI 1.3215.79%) animals were infested with Rhipicephalus microplus ticks. Fecal egg counting was performed in 38 sheep and 24 (63.15%; 95% CI 47.276.6%) presented > 500 eggs per gram. Phylogenetic analysis of partial sequences of the detected hemotropic Mycoplasma sp. 16S and 23S rRNAgenes confirmed that the animals were infected with Mycoplasmaovis. Polymorphism analysis of partial 16S rRNA sequences showed three different genotypes of M. ovis infecting sheep assessed in the present study. Mycoplasmaovis and gastrointestinal nematodes occurs in sheep from the northern region of Paraná State.(AU)