Molecular detection and characterization of a novel Theileria genotype in Dama Gazelle (Nanger dama).

ABSTRACT: Wild animals play a critical role in maintenance and transmission of various tick-borne pathogens. It is essential to identify these wild host species that can serve as important reservoirs of tickborne diseases. In the present study we investigated Dama gazelle (Nanger dama) as a potential novel reservoir of Theileria spp. A total of 53 blood samples collected from Dama gazelle as part of the Al Ain Zoo preventive medicine program were screened for Theileria spp. by qPCR using a commercial assay, followed by additional studies using conventional PCR targeting an approximate 450-base pair (bp) fragment of the V4 hypervariable region of the 18S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene. Sequencing and phylogenetic analysis of a subset (20) of PCR amplicons revealed Theileria isolates from gazelles o

SUBMITTER: Perez de Vargas A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10140743 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature