RESUMO
The Cephalopina titillator is one of the most important causative agents of nasal myiasis in camels. This study aimed to explore the prevalence, histopathological effects, and molecular identification of C. titillator infestation in camels of Kerman province, South-Eastern Iran, between 2019 and 2021. The larvae were placed in 10% formalin for histopathological evaluation and species identification. Pieces of larval abdominal segments of C. titillator were selected for extraction of DNA. Partial mitochondrial CO1 genes were sequenced for final analysis. Out of the 870 camels examined, 339 (38.9%) were infested with larval stages of C. titillator. There was a significant difference between age and infection rate (P = 0.001), while no association between males and females (P = 0.074) was found. The infection rate was significantly higher in the winter (P < 0.001) than in the other seasons. In this study, different lesions depending on duration, locations, and the depth of larval adhesion notably degeneration changes, necrosis, and ulceration were observed. Also, in chronic cases, granulation tissue reactions were organized. Cephalopina titillator was confirmed by PCR sequencing analysis using mitochondrial CO1 region. A 582 bp nucleotide sequence was deposited in GenBank under the MW136151 accession number. Phylogenetic analysis of CO1 produced a single uniform sister clade to MZ209004 and MW167083 records from China and Iraq, respectively. The high prevalence of C. titillator in camels in this region and other areas of Iran declares that the country is in an endemic status and displays the existence of the potential risk for camels.
RESUMO
Rickettsial diseases are recognized as one of the most important vector-borne infectious diseases for humans all over the world. Dogs and their ticks are considered the most important reservoirs for Rickettsia spp., especially in spotted fever group rickettsioses. The aim of the study was to investigate Rickettsia infections in ticks collected from stray dogs in southeastern Iran. In this study, 50 stray dogs in Kerman city were randomly selected, of 68% and 52% of which were above 8 months age and male, respectively. Ticks were collected from the dog skins. After identification of collected ticks, genomic DNA of all ticks was extracted. DNA samples were tested using real-time PCR for Rickettsia spp. infections. The species of Rickettsia in positive samples were determined using gltA gene amplification and sequencing. A total of 250 ticks were collected from 50 stray dogs and all of them belonged to Rhipicephalus sanguineus sensu lato. Totally, 10 pooled of 50 pooled ticks were positive for Rickettsia spp. in real-time PCR and the minimal Rickettsial infection rate was 4% in this study. The identified Rickettsia spp. included R. massiliae (n = 5), R. rhipicephali (n = 1), and R. sibirica (n = 1). In this study, molecular evidence of Rickettsia spp. infection was observed in collected ticks from stray dogs in southeast Iran. More sensitivity to human and animal health care systems in southeastern Iran is essential to the diagnosis of suspected clinical cases that are related to rickettsiosis.