Molecular detection of Theileria ovis (Apicomplexa: Theileriidae), Anaplasma ovis (Rickettsiales: Anaplasmataceae), and Mycoplasma sp. (Tenericutes: Mycoplasmataceae) from sheep blood in western Iran

The present study was designed to detect tick-borne hemoparasitic agents in 35 blood samples collected from healthy sheep from Lorestan province located in western Iran. Sheep blood samples were examined only using molecular method. By polymerase chain reaction (PCR), 13 (65%), 3 (15%), and one samples (5%) were to be infected by Anaplasma ovis , Theileria ovis , and Mycoplasma species, respectively. One sample from each positive target PCR was sequenced, successfully. This study is an investigation on tick-borne pathogens of domestic sheep, and a Mycoplasma agent is reported for the first time in Iran.