Molecular phylogenetic analysis of Cysticercus ovis from Egypt based on MT-CO1 gene sequences

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.

New insights into the prevalence and phylogenetic diversity of Cysticercus ovis isolates in sheep from Sulaymaniyah, Iraq

“…In this research, older sheep were more frequently infected, which may be due to the immune system of the animals. This result is considered consistent with the results of the previous research performed in Egypt ( 1 ), where the C. ovis infection rate was higher in old sheep than young ones. This could be due to long companionship periods with guard dogs throughout the time grazing as adult animals, whereas lambs are often left in buildings.…”

“…In the current study, the overall prevalence of C. ovis was 1.31%, which is in accordance with previous reports of C. ovis parasitism rates among sheep of 1.27% prevalence in Kermanshah, western Iran ( 12 ) and 2.02% in Egypt ( 1 ), although it was relatively higher than that registered in Fars province, southern Iran (1%) ( 20 ). However, the prevalence found in this study is lower than those recorded in sheep of Isfahan, Iran (2.9%) ( 9 ), eastern Ethiopia (26%) ( 26 ), south-west England (7%) ( 6 ), Canada (48%) ( 4 ), Tasmania (3.4%) ( 22 ) and China (58.9%) ( 25 ).…”

“…These findings agree with those of Abdelaziz et al . ( 1 ), who found that male animals had the higher infection rate (52.63% compared with 47.36%). On the other hand, the results of this study are not in accordance with those of a previous investigation conducted in Iran ( 9 ), in which the rate of infection was higher in females.…”

“…Many sheep are slaughtered elsewhere than in facilities carrying out inspections to escape carcass condemnation and charges imposed for inspection, and this practice risks perpetuating the transmission cycle between sheep and dogs. Moreover, guard dogs living with flocks of sheep for their protection from wild carnivores while they graze also play a significant role in transmitting tapeworms from dogs to sheep in rural and urban areas, and via these T. ovis causing sheep measles ( 1 ).…”

“…Infection with T. ovis occurs globally, and research has documented it in Canada ( 5 ), China ( 25 ), England ( 6 ), Ethiopia ( 26 ), Iran ( 12 , 23 ), Egypt ( 1 ), and New Zealand ( 15 ). In Iraq, the epidemiology of C. ovis remains unknown, and there was no report describing this parasite in sheep.…”