Abstract
Cysticercus ovis or sheep measles is the larval stage of Taenia ovis, which is the intestinal tapeworm of dogs. It is found in the cardiac and skeletal muscles of sheep and can be the cause of partial or total condemnation of carcasses at abattoirs. The aim of the current work was to determine the prevalence of C. ovis among sheep in Upper Egypt and to present the molecular and phylogenetic analysis of this using the amplified Mitochondrial Cytochrome Oxidase subunit 1 (MT-CO1) gene. A total of 1885 sheep slaughtered at local abattoirs of 4 different governorates of Upper Egypt (Asuit, Sohag, Qena and Aswan) were carefully examined for C. ovis. The overall prevalence of infection was 2.02%. The highest rate of infection was observed in adult animals over 4 years of age (44.73%). There was no significant effect of animal sex on infection rates. The phylogenic analysis of C. ovis Egyptian isolates showed very close similarity to the New Zealand isolate (AB731675). This is the first report showing the genetic analysis of C. ovis in Egypt, which provides a very powerful tool for taxonomy and definitive diagnosis of C. ovis, which could be helpful for preventive and control programs.
Highlights
IntroductionIn Egypt, the sheep population is estimated at 5.5 million animals (OIE, 2017; SULTAN et al, 2016), raised mainly in either small numbers kept in the household by farmers or in village flocks managed by shepherds (AIDAROS, 2005)
In Egypt, the sheep population is estimated at 5.5 million animals (OIE, 2017; SULTAN et al, 2016), raised mainly in either small numbers kept in the household by farmers or in village flocks managed by shepherds (AIDAROS, 2005).Sheep and goats are the intermediate host for several canine tapeworm species, including Taenia ovis
The overall prevalence of C. ovis infection among 1885 slaughtered sheep in the Assiut, Sohag, Qena and Aswan governorates of Upper Egypt was 2.02%
Summary
In Egypt, the sheep population is estimated at 5.5 million animals (OIE, 2017; SULTAN et al, 2016), raised mainly in either small numbers kept in the household by farmers or in village flocks managed by shepherds (AIDAROS, 2005). Sheep and goats are the intermediate host for several canine tapeworm species, including Taenia ovis. The larval stages of this cestode, C. ovis, cause cystic lesions in skeletal and heart muscle (SOULSBY; MÖNNIG, 1982). The habitat of the adult cestode worm T. ovis is the intestine of dogs, foxes and wolves. Sheep get the infection through eggs on contaminated pastures or feeding on contaminated garbage. Molecular characterization of C. ovis from Egypt 259/265 259. The parasitic cycle is completed after the definitive host eats viable C. ovis cysts
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