Prevalence of Theileria/Babesia Species in Ruminants in Burdur Province of Turkey.

PURPOSE: Theileriosis and babesiosis, two tick-borne haemoparasitic diseases (TBHDs) of ruminants, are caused by protozoan parasites of the genus Theileria and Babesia, respectively. Among them, some species are considered to be highly pathogenic causing serious economic losses to livestock holders especially in tropic and subtropic regions. Local and/or general control measures are needed to be applied to reduce economic impact of TBHDs. Prevalence studies are essential for the implementation and/or design of effective prevention and control measures based on true epidemiological data. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the presence, prevalence and possible cross infections of Theileria/Babesia species between sheep, goat and cattle herds in Burdur province in Turkey. METHODS: A total of 964 blood samples were collected from sheep (n = 330), goat (n = 300) and cattle (n = 334) from five different districts of Burdur province. The samples were investigated for ovine and bovine Theileria/Babesia species using reverse line blot (RLB) hybridization assay. RESULTS: In small ruminants, T. ovis was the most abundant Theileria species detected in sheep with a rate of 79.69%. Among Babesia species, B. ovis and B. crassa were detected only in blood of goats (0.66%) and sheep (1.12%) as single and mixed infections, respectively. In cattle, T. annulata, B. bovis, Babesia spp. were detected in rates of 0.59%, 3.29%, 3.59%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Obtained results clearly indicated that no cross infections with Theileria/Babesia species occurred in small ruminant and cattle herds that use the same grazing area.

Prevalence and genotyping of bovine Cryptosporidium species in the Mediterranean and Central Anatolia Region of Turkey.

The prevalence of Cryptosporidium species in calves and heifers with relation to diarrhea from several herds was investigated in this study. Fecal samples were collected from 135 and 120 pre-weaned calves and 79 and 130 heifers raised in the Central Anatolia (CAR) and Mediterranean Regions (MR) of Turkey, respectively. A total of 86 post-weaned calves in CAR were also included in the study. For diagnostic comparison, all samples were examined by microscopic examination, SSU rRNA nested PCR and TaqMan real-time PCR for the presence of oocyst and Cryptosporidium DNA. In total, 102 (34.0 %) and 93 (37.2 %) of the examined samples from CAR and MR were found positive for Cryptosporidium DNA with both nested PCR and real-time PCR analyses, respectively with an overall prevalence of 35.5 %. The diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of microscopic examination were determined as 68.7 % and 100.0 % compared to molecular tools, respectively. RFLP and sequence analyses of the SSU rRNA from the PCR products revealed that 138 (70.8 %) out of 195 positive isolates were C. parvum further confirming the species-specific real-time PCR results. Among the remaining 57 (29.2 %) positive isolates, 30 (15.4 %) and 27 (13.8 %) were characterized as C. ryanae and C. bovis, respectively. C. parvum was the dominant species in pre-weaned calves especially with diarrhea while C. bovis and C. ryanae were mostly found in post-weaned calves and heifers. The sequence analyses of the gp60 gene of C. parvum isolates revealed two subtypes (IIaA13G2R1, IIaA14G1R1) belonging to zoonotic family IIa, with IIaA13G2R1 being the most common in diarrheic calves.

[Some biological features of Hyalomma marginatum in the laboratory]. / Laboratuvarda Hyalomma marginatum'un Bazi Biyolojik Özellikleri.

OBJECTIVE: This study has been planned to investigate some biological features of Hyalomma marginatum, which is one of the important vectors in the world and in our country. METHODS: The study started with the adult H. marginatum which were collected from cattle in the field and attempts were made for these to be adapted to the laboratory by breeding in the laboratory throughout a generation. Unfed adult ticks and unfed larvae were bred on the rabbit ear while unfed nymphs were bred on the calf ear. The biologic development stages of this tick kind, except for sucking blood stage, passed in an incubator which was at a temperature of 28°C and 85% relative humidity, while the unfed active stages passed in an incubator which was at 18°C and 85% relative humidity to conserve for a long time. RESULTS: Unfed females on rabbits were full and fell in approximately 15 days, began to ovulate 20.5 days later and ovulated for 16 days. The larvae which hatched out approximately 29 days later became active in 8.5 days. These larvae sucked blood from rabbits for 14.5 days and abandoned these animals as full nymphs. Unfed adult ticks, which existed as a result of these nymphs casting off their skin in approximately 26 days, became active by completing their cutinization in approximately 10 days. CONCLUSION: At the end of the study, it was determined that H. marginatum showed 2 different behaviors in rabbits. According to this, the total life cycle in the laboratory environment changed by between 97 and 182 days and lasted approximately 138.5 days.

First report of Eimeria lancasterensis in a red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris L.) in Turkey.

A case of coccidiosis in a young, red male squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris L.) has been described in this report. The squirrel was found dead and presented to the department of pathology for necropsy. A traumatic lesion was observed on the face that could have caused death. At necropsy the large and small intestines were swollen due to fluid and gas. During the examination of gut content numerous coccidia oocysts were observed. After sporulation, the oocysts were identified as those of Eimeria lancasterensis. In the histopathological examination numerous coccidia developmental stages were observed in the epithelium of small intestine. This is the first report of Eimeria lancasterensis identification in squirrels in Turkey.