Molecular detection and characterization of Theileria sp. from hedgehogs (Paraechinus aethiopicus) in Saudi Arabia.

مقال فى مجلة

2020

, Mohammed, O. B., Amor, N. M., Omer, S. A., & Alagaili, A. N. (2020). . 2020

In this study, we conducted molecular detection and characterization of piroplasms that infect the
Ethiopian or desert hedgehogs (Paraechinus aethiopicus) in Saudi Arabia. Blood samples from 112
(68 males and 44 females) desert hedgehogs from Unaizah, Central Saudi Arabia were screened for
Theileria/Babesia DNA using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) employing specific primers
amplifying the partial 18S small subunit rRNA gene. Theileria DNA was detected in 51 samples
(54.5%), giving a prevalence of 45.5%. Theileria DNA was found in 33 (48.5%) males and 18 (40.9%)
females, and there was no significant difference (p > 0.05) in the prevalence between males and
females. Similarly, there was no significant difference (p > 0.05) in the prevalence between juveniles
(40%) and adults (46.7%). There was a significant difference in the prevalence of Theileria in
hedgehogs collected from May to September and the period from October to April (p = 0.003). Four
haplotypes of Theileria sp. in hedgehogs were detected and designated as H1 to H4. H1 was the
predominant haplotype and found in 80.8% of the positive individuals. Partial sequences of the 18S
rRNA of Theileria sp. from hedgehogs grouped with Theileria spp. that are benign. This study is the
first report of the occurrence of Theileria spp. in Saudi Arabian desert hedgehogs.

• مجلة/صحيفة: Letters in Applied Microbiology
• الصفحات: DOI: 10.1111/lam.13438