A Study on Babesia Infection in Sheep of Pars Abad Moghan Region, Ardabil Province (2014)

Pars Abad Moghan city, due to the mild weather and numerous Pastures for animals feeding, is a suitable place for breeding sheep and goat. Babesiosis is one of the most important parasitic infection in animals, especially ruminants. Babesia is a protozoa living inside the red blood cells and transmitted to the host by hard Tick especially Rhipicephalus, Hyalomma, Dermacentor and Haemaphysalis. The aim of this study was to consider Babesia infection in sheep of Pars Abad Moghan city.
In order to investigate the prevalence of babesia, 105 sheep in two different seasons of spring and summer were prepared and blood sample was taken and thin and thick smears were done. Thin blood smear was fixed with methanol and in order to determine the presence of the protozoan parasite, Giemsa with ratio of 1 to 14 in distilled water was used for staining.
The results showed that the number of 33 samples (31.42%) were infected with Babesia. Among these, 18 samples (17.14%) were infected with Babesia ovis, 9 (8.57%) with babesia motasi and 6 samples (5.71%) were infected simultaneously with both species of Babesia ovis and Babesia motasi.
The rate of infection to Babesia among the sheep in Pars Abad Moghan city is remarkable. Early diagnosis and early treatment can prevent spread of the disease in this area.