Molecular detection and phylogenetic analysis of Borrelia spp. from sheep and goats blood samples in West Azerbaijan province, Iran

Borrelia species are spirochetes transmitted by ticks that are important in human and animals. In most countries, there is still no molecular epidemiology of borreliosis in ruminants. This study was aimed to evaluate the existence of Borrelia spp. DNA in the blood samples of small ruminants using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method in West Azerbaijan Province, Iran. To detect Borrelia spp. DNA, about 1,018 ruminants (456 goats and 562 sheep) blood samples were examined from different bioclimatic regions in West Azerbaijan province, Iran. The DNA extracting and PCR were conducted. In sheep, the following prevalence rates were respectively obtained for the 16S rRNA, 5S - 23S rRNA and ospA genes: 3.55% (20/562), 2.13% (12/562) and 0.88% (5/562). And so, the prevalence rates of the genes in goats were 0.87% (4/456) for 5S - 23S rRNA gene, 1.75% (8/456) for 16S rRNA gene and 0.65% (3/456) for ospA gene. The prevalence of Borrelia spp. was significantly different in small ruminants based on the farms and localities. The sheep and goats in humid areas (north of West Azerbaijan) were infected statistically more than those in sub-humid areas (south of West Azerbaijan). It is demonstrated that host species like sheep and goats may have a key role in natural Lyme disease cycles and other borreliosis diseases in Iran.