Molecular identification using 18S ribosomal RNA of Sarcocystis spp. in bovine minced meat in Van Province, Turkey

This study aimed to determine the prevalence and molecular characterization of Sarcocystis spp. in bovine minced meat that is sold in various grocery stores and butcher shops in Van Province of Turkey. For this purpose a total of 150 samples were obtained from İpekyolu, Tuşba, Edremit, Erciş, and Gevaş districts of Van Province in monthly periods from May to October 2019. 28% (42/150) were found positive for Sarcocystis species as a result of the microscopic analyses and 96.6% (145/150) were found positive for Sarcocystis species as a result of the multiplex-PCR and RFLP methods. Sarcocystis cruzi (96.6%) was detected in all samples that were detected positive using molecular methods. Sarcocystis hominis-like was found in 143 (95%) samples whereas S. hirsuta was detected in only 4 (2.6%) samples. According to the Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLASTN) analysis of the 18S rRNA gene region of the S. cruzi (MN832695) and S. hirsuta (MN832697) isolates, they showed 100% similarity to the samples (MH681972; MH681973) that were submitted to GenBank from China. The BLASTN analysis of the 18S rRNA gene region of the S. hominis-like isolate (MN832696) revealed that it was 99.45% identical to the S. bovini (KT901155) isolated from a water buffalo in New Zealand. In conclusion, the molecular characterization of Sarcocystis spp. has been provided for the first time in Van Province, and the first unverified scientific data for S. bovini has been established in this study.