The first molecular survey of theileriosis in Malaysian cattle, sheep and goats

Kho KL 1 , Amarajothi ADG 1 , Koh FX 1 , Panchadcharam C 2 , Hassan Nizam QN 3 , Tay ST 4

Affiliations 

  • 1 Department of Medical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
  • 2 Veterinary Research Institute, 59, Jalan Sultan Azlan Shah, 31400 Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia
  • 3 Department of Veterinary Services, Ministry of Agriculture and Agro-Based Industry Malaysia, Federal Government Administrative Centre, 62630 Putrajaya, Malaysia
  • 4 Department of Medical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Electronic address: [email protected]
Vet Parasitol Reg Stud Reports, 2017 12;10:149-153.
PMID: 31014589 DOI: 10.1016/j.vprsr.2017.08.003

Abstract

This study reports the molecular detection of Theileria spp. from six cattle farms, a sheep farm and a goat farm located at different states in Peninsular Malaysia. Animal blood samples were screened for the presence of Theileria DNA using a conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay. A total of 155 (69.2%) of 224 cattle investigated were PCR-positive for Theileria DNA. The occurrences of Theileria spp. ranged from 17.5% to 100.0% across six cattle farms. Theileria DNA was detected from 90.0% of 40 sheep but none of 40 goats examined in this study. Sequence analyses of amplified 18S rRNA partial fragments (335-338bp) confirmed the identification of Theileria buffeli, Theileria sergenti, and Theileria sinensis in representative samples of cattle and ticks. T. luwenshuni was identified in the infected sheep. The high occurrences of Theileria spp. in our farm animals highlight the needs for appropriate control and preventive measures for theileriosis.

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

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