Molecular Identification of Theileria equi and Babesia caballi from Ixodid Ticks Infesting Equids in Erbil Province, Northern of Iraq

Abstract

The present study was conducted to detect of Theileria equi and Babesia caballi in Ixodid ticks collected from equids in Erbil province, Northern Iraq. A total of (98) adult ticks, belong to the five species from three ixodid genera (two species belong to the genus Hyalomma (Hyalomma marginatum marginatum and H. anatolicum exacavatum), two species belong to the genus Boophilus (Boophilus microplus and B. annulatus) and one species belong to the genus Rhipicephalus (Rhipicephalus turanicus) were collected from 349 equids. Fifty DNA ticks (10 for each tick species) were chosen for molecular analyses to detect of T. equi and B. caballi using conventional and multiplex polymerase chain reaction technique (c-PCR, m-PCR) targeting 18S rRNA gene. Out of analyzed ticks, Boophilus annulatus was the most prevalent tick species (39.8%), whereas the lowest was Hyalomma exacavatum (10.2%). The multiplex PCR finding revealed that five ticks species including (Hyalomma marginatum marginatum, Hyalomma anatolicum exacavatum, Boophilus microplus, Boophilus annulatus and Rhipocephalus turanicus) were infected with T. equi, while only one species Rhipocephalus turanicus and Boophilus annulatus was found infected with Babesia caballi and both protozoa respectively.