Molecular detection of Brucella spp. in the population ofvaccinated and non-vaccinated sheep against brucellosis in YazdProvince of Iran

Background and Aim : Brucellosis is a common disease between humans and animals, whichhas great global importance. Brucellosis is endemic in Iran and has been reported with differentprevalence in livestock and human population from different parts of the country. In Iran, sheephave a higher percentage of brucellosis than cattle. Timely and accurate diagnosis of this diseaseis the starting point of any effective program to control it in animals and humans. Therefore, thepurpose of this study is to investigate the status of Brucella infection in the sheep population ofYazd city with the help of molecular PCR technique.Methods : To carry out this research, after clinical examinations and Rose Bengal test, blood wastaken from ۵۰ healthy non-vaccinated sheep, ۲۵ sheep vaccinated with Rev-۱ vaccine and ۲۵ sheepinfected with brucellosis. For this purpose, blood was taken from the vein of Vadaj (a tubecontaining an anticoagulant). Subsequently, DNA extraction was performed using a commercialkit. Then, the PCR technique was used to detect Brucella bacteria. Finally, the PCR product waselectrophoresed to evaluate the target gene.Results : Out of ۵۰ healthy samples, ۸ samples (۱۶%) were found to be infected with Brucellabacteria. Also, among ۲۵ patient samples and ۲۵ vaccinated samples, seventeen samples (۶۸%)and nineteen samples (۷۶%) were infected with Brucella bacteria, respectively.Conclusion : Considering the prevalence of this disease in sheep and the high population of sheepin Yazd and the large slaughter of this type of animal in the slaughterhouse, as well as theconsumption of its milk by citizens and villagers in raw and unpasteurized form, it is necessary totake a series of measures. Obviously, breaking the chain of transmission of disease to humansdepends on the health of animals and compliance with health standards. Inter-departmentalcoordination and implementation of care policies, effective vaccine production, communityeducation, identification and removal of diseased livestock, etc. are considered as the mainsolutions in controlling and preventing this disease. It is also recommended to perform moleculartests in parallel with serological tests for more accurate diagnosis.

کلیدواژه ها:

Sheep ، Brucella ، PCR