Prevalence of haemoprotozoan and gastrointestinal parasites of sheep imported from Syria into Sulaymaniyah province of Iraq.

Parasitic haemoprotozoan and gastrointestinal (GI) diseases are a big issue in animal husbandry and one of the most significant causes for livestock economic losses in underdeveloped countries. This study aimed to record preliminary information on the prevalence of haemoprotozoan and gastrointestinal parasites of Awassi breed of sheep imported from Syria into Sulaymaniyah province, Iraq. Faecal and blood samples were randomly collected from a total of 714 sheep of both sexes from June to September 2019. Giemsa staining technique, direct faecal smear, saturated salt flotation method, and simple sedimentation technique, were applied to diagnose the parasitic stages in the coprological and blood specimens. The overall prevalence rate was 75.63%. Single and mixed infection rates of parasites were 55.46%, and 20.16%, respectively. GI parasites and haemoprotozoan infection rates were 78.15%, and 20.16%, respectively. Of all parasites, the most prevalent was Eimeria spp. (68%), followed by Babesia spp. (20.15%), Balantidium coli (5.90%), Fasciola hepatica (2.50%), and strongyles (1.7%). The prevalence rates for GI parasites and haemoprotozoa varied considerably in regard to sex categories. It is recommended that strict quarantine procedures, adequate parasitological monitoring, and therapeutic approaches should be implemented to animals transported from bordering countries to minimize the incidence of parasite infection.

Novel isolate of Cysticercus tenuicollis-Kalar isolate has been revealed in Kalar, Iraq.

INTRODUCTION: Although Cysticercus tenuicollis is one of the most economic and veterinary important parasite in Iraq, scanty molecular characterization exists for this helminth. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and molecular description of C. tenuicollis isolates from sheep in Kalar district of Iraq. METHODOLOGY: A total of 2,906 slaughtered sheep were examined post-mortem. Up to 20 samples of C. tenuicollis was extracted and amplified using mitochondrial COX1 gene. RESULTS: The overall prevalence rate was 6.88%, and female sheep recorded higher rate of infection (24.35%) than male (6.16%) with significant difference (p<0.05). The molecular results showed 14 haplotypes for COX1 gene and the pairwise nucleotide variation among them was ranged from 0.2 to 2.6%. Twelve out of fourteen haplotypes of C. tenuicollis involving one to three base mutations were discovered in Kalar, Iraq for the first time and this could be a unique mutation internationally and did not registered previously. Eleven newly recorded haplotypes involved only one single mutation and the remaining one involved three mutations. Phylogenetic interpretation showed that Cysticercus tenuicollis-Kalar isolate were clustered in one clade, and closely related to isolates discovered in Nigeria, China, Turkey, Poland, and Iran. CONCLUSIONS: This study provided a new record data on prevalence and discovered novel strains of C. tenuicollis in the study area for the first time named Cysticercus tenuicollis-Kalar isolate. Novel haplotypes might consider endemic genetic characterization of this metacestode. The present data may be useful to provide a good molecular background for future preventive and control programs.

Molecular Study of Cysticercus Tenuicollis from Slaughtered Sheep in Sulaymaniyah Province, Iraq.

INTRODUCTION: Cysticercosis caused by the larval stage of Taenia hydatigena is economically the most important endemic parasitic disease in Iraq. Few data are available relating to the genetic divergence of this helminth. This study aimed to molecularly characterise Cysticercus tenuicollis isolates from sheep in Sulaymaniyah province, Iraq. MATERIAL AND METHODS: DNA extraction and amplification of specimens of C. tenuicollis from 46 sheep were conducted by PCR for the mitochondrial 12S rRNA gene. The 19 amplicons were subjected to purification and partial sequencing. RESULTS: Five 12S rRNA nucleotide sequence haplotypes were found. The pairwise nucleotide difference between haplotypes of 12S rRNA gene ranged from 0.2% to 0.7%. Four out of the five haplotypes of C. tenuicollis contained one to two base mutations and were discovered in Iraq for the first time, and this may be a unique mutation globally which has not been recorded previously. Three newly recorded haplotypes contained only one single mutation, and the other one contained two mutations. Phylogenetic analysis showed that all isolated strains were closely related to Iranian sheep isolates. CONCLUSIONS: Four new strains of T. hydatigena were discovered for the first time in the study area.