title: Determination of Prevalence and Risk Factors of Infection with Babesia ovis in Small Ruminants from West Azerbaijan Province, Iran by Polymerase Chain Reaction.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Small ruminants' babesiosis caused by Babesia ovis, is transmitted during blood feeding by infected ticks and is the most economically important tick-borne disease in tropical and subtropical areas. This study was carried out to to estimate the infection rate of B. ovis in sheep and goats by PCR. We have analysed risk factors that might influence infection of sheep and goats with B. ovis.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total 402 blood samples were examined microscopically for the presence of Babesia infection. All samples were tested by PCR. During sampling, whole body of each animal and farm dogs was examined for the presence of ticks.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Forty-two animals (10.4%) were positive for Babesia spp. upon microscopic examination, whereas 67 animals (16.7%) yielded the specific DNA for B. ovis of which 52 animals were sheep and 15 animals were goats. Twenty-nine farms (72.5%) were found positive for B. ovis. The percentage of positive animals in each location varied from 13 % to 20 %. The relative risk of the presence of ticks in sheep and goats (P< 0.01) and farm dogs (P< 0.01) for PCR- positive results for B. ovis in sheep and goats was found 3.8 and 2.9, respectively. A total of 747 ticks identified as Rhipicephalus bursa, R. sanguineus and R. turanicus on the basis of morphological features.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Other animal species besides dogs may also be risk factors for babesiosis in sheep and goats. Also, R. bursa may play an important role as a vector of the parasite in Iran.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathobiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Urmia University, Urmia, Iran.
authors.forename: Bijan
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Esmaeilnejad
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathobiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Urmia University, Urmia, Iran.
authors.forename: Mousa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tavassoli
authors.affiliation: Departments of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Urmia University, Urmia, Iran.
authors.forename: Siamak
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Asri-Rezaei
authors.affiliation: Departments of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Urmia University, Urmia, Iran.
authors.forename: Bahram
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Dalir-Naghadeh
authors.affiliation: Department of Food Hygiene and Quality Control, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Urmia University, Urmia, Iran.
authors.forename: Karim
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Mardani
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathobiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Urmia University, Urmia, Iran.
authors.forename: Mostafa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Golabi
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathobiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Urmia University, Urmia, Iran.
authors.forename: Jafar
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Arjmand
authors.affiliation: Departments of Microbiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Urmia University, Urmia, Iran.
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kazemnia
authors.affiliation: Departments of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Urmia University, Urmia, Iran.
authors.forename: Ghader
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Jalilzadeh
keywords: Babesia; Iran; PCR; Rhipicephalus; Small ruminant