Investigation of Babesia species in ticks in Ankara and its surroundings

Tick-borne diseases cause significant health and animal management problems in many parts of the world. The geographical location of our country, climatic conditions and animal management systems make animals susceptible to tick infestations and tick-borne diseases. Worldwide, pathogens of parasitic origin infect humans, farm and wild animals. These pathogens are also transmitted by vector ticks. It should be taken into account that ticks have an important place in transmitting the diseases they carry as mechanical and biological vectors. Tick-borne Babesia species are parasites from the phylum Apicomplexa with a life cycle between a definitive host (a bloodsucking invertebrate) and an intermediate host (a vertebrate). On the other hand, Turkey is a country where ticks will settle and continue their biological activities in terms of climate, surface shape and vegetation. Babesiosis is a disease that is characterized by high fever, jaundice, hemoglobinuria in animals and causes paralysis and death if left untreated. In this thesis, it is aimed to investigate the presence and prevalence of Babesiosis disease, which causes significant economic losses in ticks collected from nature and hosts in and around Ankara by molecular methods. In this study, conventional PCR was performed using 18S rRNA gene on 191 ticks collected from Ankara center and its districts and neighboring provinces, and sequence analysis was performed for samples that were found to be positive. Study result was 4 positive (4/191) 2.1%; 1 of them was found as Babesia bigemina, 2 of them as Babesia ovis, and 1 of them as Babesia spp. Since the sequence study was performed with the Sanger sequence method, Babesia spp. identifications of Babesia species defined as will be done by advanced methods. Babesia bigemina was found in male H. aegyptium tick from human in Çubuk district of Ankara, 2 B. ovis in male R. sanguineus tick, one from Ankara province human, the other in male R. sanguineus tick from Eskişehir province goat, 1 Babesia spp., Tokat province Ixodes spp. (nymph) tick. Considering the economic losses caused by babesiossis, control strategies should be developed against the prevention of this disease.