Detection of Rickettsia genus in small ruminant and their ticks in Western of Iran

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVESTick-borne rickettsioses cause disease in humans and pose serious risks to their health. Considering the importance of this pathogen in the occurrence of infection in humans and animals, which leads to mild to severe disease and even death all over the world, and limited information is available in this regard in Iran, the aim of this study is to investigate Rickettsia spp. in small ruminants and their ticks in Western of Iran.MATERIALS AND METHODSIn this study ۲۵۰ blood samples were collected from sheep and goats, as well as ۲۴۴ tick samples were collected from them in Kurdistan province (western Iran), and Rickettsia spp. were investigated in these samples by the use of the molecular method.RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONThe tick species collected during this study included Rhipicephalus sanguineus, Rhipicephalus turanicus, Haemaphysalis concinna, and Dermacentor marginatus. Among these ticks, a total of ۱۳۱ specimens (۵۳.۷%) were found to be infected with Rickettsia. Notably, R. slovaca (۵۹.۲%) and R. hoogstraalii (۱۶.۳%) were the most prevalent species identified in this study. Additionally, other rickettsia species, including R. raoulti, R. massiliae, R. sibrica, and R. conorii subsp. israelensis were also identified. No positive samples were observed in the blood samples collected from small ruminants.CONCLUSIONThe findings of this study emphasize the severity of rickettsial infection in ticks in western Iran. Due to the fact that many of the species identified in this study can cause disease in humans, it requires more attention from health systems in these areas.

کلیدواژه ها:

Rickettsia ، Tick ، Rickettsiosis ، Tick born disease ، Iran