Asadollah Hosseini-Chegeni, Majid Tavakoli, Zakkyeh Telmadarraiy, Mohammad Mehdi Sedaghat, Faezeh Faghihi,
Volume 5, Issue 3 (7-2017)
Abstract
Ticks harbor many pathogenic, as well as endosymbiotic and non-pathogenic agents. They are host of a variety of as yet unidentified microbes that continue to be described. In the present study, a Brucella-like bacterium was detected in a Boophilus tick by PCR amplification of a partial fragment of 16S rRNA locus followed sequencing. Our results show that the members of the genus Boophilus may act as vectors of brucellosis in nature, but further studies are required to confirm the real role of ticks as vector or reservoirs of specific Brucella species.
Sahar Asadolahizoj, Dariush Saadati, Mehdi Rasekh, Faezeh Faghihi, Mehdi Fazlalipour, Amir Sajad Jafari,
Volume 10, Issue 1 (3-2022)
Abstract
Introduction: Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) is a zoonotic viral infection transmitted mainly via CCHF virus-infected ticks between vertebrate hosts. The disease occurs in almost all provinces of Iran. This study investigated the CCHFV infection in hard ticks collected from livestock in the Sistan region of Sistan and Baluchestan Province, southeast of Iran. Methods: In this study, ticks were collected from 220 livestock, including 150 sheep, 50 goats, 20 cows in five counties of Sistan Province (Zabol, Zehak, Hirmand, Nimruz, and Hamun). The ticks were identified under a stereomicroscope according to valid morphological keys. A reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) method was used to detect the CCHFV genome via amplifying the S segment. Results: Among 100 selected ticks, RT-PCR revealed no CCHFV infection. Conclusions: Although no ticks were positive for CCHFV, it should be recalled that Sistan and Baluchestan province is among the highly endemic CCHF foci. As a result, further investigation and larger sample sizes are required to confirm our outcome. According to the hypothesis that direct contact with viremic livestock is more significant than tick bites in the viral transmission, more serological and molecular screening should be performed on high-risk individuals, e.g., slaughterhouse staff, ranchers, farmers, and veterinarians in the Sistan region.
