Molecular detection of Rickettsia spp. on ovine ticks collected northwest Iran: First report of Rickettsia sibirica

Background: This study aimed to investigate the species of Rickettsia spp. that were detected at ticks isolatedfrom sheep in four provinces of northwestern Iran, in the Middle East.Methods: Ticks collected in this study were isolated from four provinces in northwestern Iran. Variouscounties from East-Azerbaijan, West-Azerbaijan, Ardabil, and Kurdistan provinces were studied. A total of۶۱۴ ticks were collected from the studied provinces during this study (۴۰ polled samples). A polymerasechain reaction (PCR) test was used to molecularly evaluate the presence of Rickettsiae in the samples. Thegene used in this experiment was the gene encoding citrate synthase protein (gltA). Two of the confirmedsamples of Rickettsia were sent to the laboratory for gene sequencing. The sequences were trimmed andedited using Sequencher© V۵.۴.۶ software, and the dendrogram was aligned and drawn with MEGA۵©software.Results: Ticks that found during this study are included Hyalomma marginatum, Hyalomma anatolicum,Hyalomma asiaticum, Rhipicephalus turanicus, Rhipicephalus bursa, Rhipicephalus sanguineus, andDermacentor marginatus. The results of sequencing of these two genes showed that they belong to twospecies of Spotted Fever Group Rickettsiae (SFG).Conclusions: Co-morbidity of Rickettsiae in humans and animals, especially domestic livestock, has madethis pathogen one of the most critical tick-borne pathogens worldwide. A total of ۶۱۴ ticks were collectedfrom the studied provinces during this study (۴۰ polled samples). Ticks found during this study in West-Azerbaijan province included Hyalomma marginatum, Hyalomma anatolicum, Hyalomma asiaticum,Rhipicephalus turanicus, Rhipicephalus bursa, Rhipicephalus sanguineus, and Dermacentor marginatus. Ourresearch and previous articles show that this is the first time that signs of Rickettsia sibirica have beenreported in Iran.

کلیدواژه ها:

Rickettsia ، Iran ، Vector Borne Diseases ، Sequence Analysis