An epidemiological survey on bovine and ovine babesiosis in Kurdistan Province, western Iran

The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of the Babesia infection in domestic animals in Kurdistan Province of Iran for the first time. In this survey, 9,111 domestic livestock, including cattle and sheep, were randomly sampled and examined from 500 flocks in Kurdistan Province from July 2007 to September 2009. Thin peripheral blood smears were taken and then stained by Giemsa staining method. From a total of 9,111 collected samples, 2,642 were sheep and 6,469 were cattle. Babesia spp. is detected in 1,359 (51.4%) out of sheep samples and 136 (2.1%) out of cattle samples by direct examination of blood smear. Altogether, the prevalence rate of Babesia infection was 16.4% (n=1,495) in both animal groups. Babesia ovis and Babesia bigemina were the most prevalent species found in sheep and cattle, respectively. The relatively high prevalence of Babesia infection in livestock indicates the epizootic stability status of babesiosis in the western part of Iran.