An investigation of anaplasma phagocytophilum on goats and sheeps with molecular methods in sanliurfa region

Anaplasma phagocytophilum are tick born rickettsial organism and they cause granulocutic anaplasmosis in ruminants, equids, birds and humans. This study was performed to determine the presence and prevalence of A. phagocytophilum in sheep and goats in the Şanlıurfa region between April and July 2013. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using primers specific to the A. phagocytophilum 16S SSU rRNA gene of the bacterium was applied to blood samples. The amplified DNA fragments in PCR positive samples were sequenced in order to confirm their identity. Whole blood samples were taken from a total of 208 animals (134 sheep and 74 goats) in the Şanlıurfa region. The total genomic DNA was extracted in the laboratory and a part of the 16S SSU rRNA gene of A. phagocytophilum was PCR-amplified using the species-specific primers. PCR amplification indicated the presence of A. phagocytophilum in 9 animals (4.33 %). A. phagocytophilum was present in 5.97 % (8/134) of sheep and 1.35 % (1/74) of goats. The nucleotide sequence of a sample selected to represent the PCR positive samples was determined. The resulting DNA sequence was compared to other DNA sequences available in the GenBank using BLAST analysis and placed into GenBank under accession number as KJ183079. As a result, presence of A. phagocytophilum in the sheep and goats in the Şanlıurfa region was demonstrated for the first time using PCR and sequence analyses and epidemiologic data regarding the pathogen were also obtained.