Theileria ovis (Piroplasmida: Theileriidae) Detected in Melophagus ovinus (Diptera: Hippoboscoidea) and Ornithodoros lahorensis (Ixodida: Argasidae) Removed From Sheep in Xinjiang, China. Issue 2 (21st November 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Zhao, Li; Wang, Jinling; Ding, Yulin; Li, Kairui; He, Bo; Li, Fei; Zhang, Luyao; Li, Xianqiang; Liu, Yonghong
• Editors: Hamer, Sarah
• Is Part Of: Journal of medical entomology. Volume 57:Issue 2(2020)
• Page Start: 631
• Page End: 635
• Publication Date: 2019-11-21
• Subjects: Theileria ovis -- Melophagus ovinus -- Ornithodoros lahorensis -- China; Insects as carriers of disease -- Periodicals; 616.968
• DOI: 10.1093/jme/tjz193
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0022-2585

Abstract

Abstract: Theileria spp. are tick-transmitted, intracellular apicomplexan protozoan parasites that infect a wide range of animals and, as such, can cause significant economic losses. The aim of the present study was to detect and analyze apicomplexan parasites from two different ectoparasites that were collected from Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, China. The PCR-based detection of 18S rRNA indicated that Ornithodoros lahorensis specimens from Kashgar, Xinjiang, and Aksu were positive for Theileria spp., as were Melophagus ovinus specimens from Aksu. Meanwhile, phylogenetic analysis, based on the 18S rRNA gene sequences, revealed that the four amplified Theileria sequences could be attributed to T. ovis . To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to report the detection of T. ovis DNA in M. ovinus and the first molecular identification study to confirm the detection of T. ovis in O. lahorensis in China. Accordingly, the present study extends the known distribution of T. ovis .