Molecular Prevalence of Coenurus cerebralis
in Sheep with Neurological Symptoms in Iğdır Province, Türkiye
Emrah Akkuş and Fatma Ertaş Oğuz
1Iğdır
University, Institute of Postgraduate Education, Department of
Animal Science, Iğdır, Türkiye
2Iğdır
University, Tuzluca Vocational School, Department of Medical
Services and Techniques Iğdır, Türkiye
*Corresponding author:
Fatma.ertas@ığdır.edu.tr, vtr.fatma@gmail.com
Abstract
Coenurus cerebralis
is a metacestode larval stage of Taenia multiceps that inhabits the
central nervous system of their intermediate host, especially sheep and goats.
This study aimed to investigate the molecular prevalence of C. cerebralis
in sheep in Iğdır province. Out of 1300 sheep brought to the slaughterhouse, 300
sheep were selected based on the clinical signs of coenurosis. After
slaughtering, the sheep heads were brought to the laboratory to observe cysts'
presence and collect the specimens for PCR analysis. Cysts were present in
246/300 sheep brains, with 112 cysts in the left hemisphere, 73 in the right
hemisphere, 12 in the cerebellum, and 9 in the brain stem. However, 40 cysts
were observed in both hemispheres. PCR analysis by amplifying COX1 gene revealed
that 243 samples were truly positive for C. cerebralis. Sequencing and
phylogenetic analysis of two sequences (PP713059, PP711257) showed 100%
similarity with the sequence of C. cerebralis (KX547654.1) and one
sequence (PP711299) showed 99.19% similarity with the sequence of C.
cerebralis (KX547656.1) isolated from China. Our obtained sequences were
included in the same clade with six other clade members in the phylogenetic
tree. Among different parameters, it was observed that the prevalence was higher
in males and animals with less than 1 year of age. Similarly, the prevalence was
higher in winter, followed by autumn, spring, and summer. The current study
illustrated a high rate of coenurosis infection in the sheep population of Iğdır,
Turkey. Preventive measures should be followed to avoid the transmission of this
parasite to healthy sheep and other intermediate hosts including humans.
To Cite This Article:
Akkuş E and OĞUZ FE, 2024. Molecular prevalence
of Coenurus cerebralis in sheep with
neurological symptoms in iğdir province, Türkiye. Pak Vet J, 44(2): 499-503.
http://dx.doi.org/10.29261/pakvetj/2024.186