Identification of Sarcocystis spp. in slaughtered sheep in Kermanshah abattoir using PCR-RFLP

Sarcocystosis is one of the important zoonotic diseases with worldwide distribution, which causes musculoskeletal disorders leading to clinical or subclinical manifestations with significant economic loss. This paper aims to identify Sarcocystis spp. slaughtered in Kermanshah abattoir using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). To do so, ۵۰ macroscopic and ۵۰ microscopic sarcocysts isolated from slaughtered sheep in central abattoir of Kermanshah, western Iran, were analyzed. Then, all samples were isolated from muscle tissues and assessed using digestion method and impression smear. Moreover, DNA was extracted from each specimen and species identification was done using PCR-RFLP technique. Based on digestion method and impression smear, all muscle specimens contained Sarcocystis radyzoites. Furthermore, PCR-RFLP test revealed that three species are present among sheep in the region, comprising Sarcocystis gigantea (S. gigantea), S. tenella and S. arieticanis. Given that S. arieticanis and S. tenella cause abortion in domestic livestock and S. gigantea renders financial losses, species identification seems significant in control and management of the parasite transmission. The novel findings of the current research may be beneficial in improving our knowledge on the epidemiologyof Sarcocystis spp. in sheep.

کلیدواژه ها:

Sarcocystis ، Sheep ، PCR ، RFLP ، Kermanshah