Molecular Investigation of Borrelia spp. in Small Ruminants and Collected Hard Ticks from Them in Kurdistan Province,Western Iran

Abstract

Background:

Vector-borne diseases, especially those carried by ticks, are one of the major public health challenges worldwide, especially in tropical and subtropical regions. Ticks, as vectors and reservoirs of dangerous pathogens, play an important role in the transmission of common diseases between humans and animals. Relapsing fever caused by Borrelia spp. is one of these diseases that has become endemic in many regions of the world, as well as in Iran.

Method:

Blood samples and ticks were collected from small ruminants in eight counties of Kurdistan province, Western Iran. DNA from collected ticks and blood samples was extracted, and all were tested for the detection of the 16S rRNA gene of Borrelia spp. by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). For the identification of Borrelia species, flaB and groEL genes were amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and then sequenced.

Result:

In this study, 416 blood samples from sheep and goats and 520 collected ticks from these animals were examined from eight counties in Kurdistan Province. Molecular analyses revealed that 3.1% of the blood samples and 1.74% of the tick samples were infected with Borrelia spp. The highest infection rates in both livestock and ticks were observed in Marivan County. The identified tick species were predominantly Rhipicephalus bursa (60.9%) and Rhipicephalus sanguineus (33.4%), and all positive tick samples belonged to these two species. Phylogenetic analysis of flaB and groEL gene sequences confirmed the presence of Borrelia lonestari and Borrelia theileri in blood samples.

Conclusion:

This study provides the molecular evidence of Borrelia species in livestock and ticks from Kurdistan Province, Iran. However, the limited number of positive samples and the restriction of sampling to a single province should be considered when interpreting these results. Broader studies covering multiple regions and host species are needed to better understand the epidemiology of Borrelia infections in Iran.