Genome-wide association study identifies genetic variants underlying footrot in Portuguese Merino sheep.

BACKGROUND: Ovine footrot caused by Dichelobacter nodosus (D. nodosus) is a contagious disease with serious economic and welfare impacts in sheep production systems worldwide. A better understanding of the host genetic architecture regarding footrot resistance/susceptibility is crucial to develop disease control strategies that efficiently reduce infection and its severity. A genome-wide association study was performed using a customized SNP array (47,779 SNPs in total) to identify genetic variants associated to footrot resistance/susceptibility in two Portuguese native breeds, i.e. Merino Branco and Merino Preto, and a population of crossbred animals. A cohort of 1375 sheep sampled across 17 flocks, located in the Alentejo region (southern Portugal), was included in the analyses. RESULTS: Phenotypes were scored from 0 (healthy) to 5 (severe footrot) based on visual inspection of feet lesions, following the Modified Egerton System. Using a linear mixed model approach, three SNPs located on chromosome 24 reached genome-wide significance after a Bonferroni correction (p < 0.05). Additionally, six genome-wide suggestive SNPs were identified each on chromosomes 2, 4, 7, 8, 9 and 15. The annotation and KEGG pathway analyses showed that these SNPs are located within regions of candidate genes such as the nonsense mediated mRNA decay associated PI3K related kinase (SMG1) (chromosome 24) and the RALY RNA binding protein like (RALYL) (chromosome 9), both involved in immunity, and the heparan sulfate proteoglycan 2 (HSPG2) (chromosome 2) and the Thrombospodin 1 (THBS1) (chromosome 7) implicated in tissue repair and wound healing processes. CONCLUSION: This is the first attempt to identify molecular markers associated with footrot in Portuguese Merino sheep. These findings provide relevant information on a likely genetic association underlying footrot resistance/susceptibility and the potential candidate genes affecting this trait. Genetic selection strategies assisted on the information obtained from this study could enhance Merino sheep-breeding programs, in combination with farm management strategies, for a more effective and sustainable long-term solution for footrot control.

Infection-nutrition feedbacks: fat supports pathogen clearance but pathogens reduce fat in a wild mammal.

Though far less obvious than direct effects (clinical disease or mortality), the indirect influences of pathogens are difficult to estimate but may hold fitness consequences. Here, we disentangle the directional relationships between infection and energetic reserves, evaluating the hypotheses that energetic reserves influence infection status of the host and that infection elicits costs to energetic reserves. Using repeated measures of fat reserves and infection status in individual bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, we documented that fat influenced ability to clear pathogens (Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae) and infection with respiratory pathogens was costly to fat reserves. Costs of infection approached, and in some instances exceeded, costs of rearing offspring to independence in terms of reductions to fat reserves. Fat influenced probability of clearing pathogens, pregnancy and over-winter survival; from an energetic perspective, an animal could survive for up to 23 days on the amount of fat that was lost to high levels of infection. Cost of pathogens may amplify trade-offs between reproduction and survival. In the absence of an active outbreak, the influence of resident pathogens often is overlooked. Nevertheless, the energetic burden of pathogens likely has consequences for fitness and population dynamics, especially when food resources are insufficient.

No correlative evidence of costs of infection or immunity on leucocyte telomere length in a wild population of Soay sheep.

Telomere length (TL) is a biomarker hypothesized to capture evolutionarily and ecologically important physiological costs of reproduction, infection and immunity. Few studies have estimated the relationships among infection status, immunity, TL and fitness in natural systems. The hypothesis that short telomeres predict reduced survival because they reflect costly consequences of infection and immune investment remains largely untested. Using longitudinal data from a free-living Soay sheep population, we tested whether leucocyte TL was predicted by infection with nematode parasites and antibody levels against those parasites. Helminth parasite burdens were positively associated with leucocyte TL in both lambs and adults, which is not consistent with TL reflecting infection costs. We found no association between TL and helminth-specific IgG levels in either young or old individuals which suggests TL does not reflect costs of an activated immune response or immunosenescence. Furthermore, we found no support for TL acting as a mediator of trade-offs between infection, immunity and subsequent survival in the wild. Our results suggest that while variation in TL could reflect short-term variation in resource investment or environmental conditions, it does not capture costs of infection and immunity, nor does it behave like a marker of an individual's helminth-specific antibody immune response.

Do sheep (Ovis aries) discriminate human emotional odors?

While sheep can detect and discriminate human emotions through visual and vocal cues, their reaction to human body odors remains unknown. The present study aimed to determine whether sheep (Ovis aries) can detect human odors, olfactorily discriminate stressed from non-stressed individuals, and behave accordingly based on the emotional valence of the odors. Axillary secretions from 34 students were collected following an oral examination (stress odor) or a regular class (non-stress odor). Fourteen female and 15 male lambs were then exposed to these odors through a habituation-dishabituation procedure. The habituation stimulus was presented four times for one minute, followed by the dishabituation stimulus presented once for one minute. Behavioral variables included spatiality relative to target odors, approach/withdrawal, ear positioning, sniffing, ingestion, and vocalization. Both female and male lambs more often positioned their ears backwards/forwards, and asymmetrically when exposed to the dishabituation stimulus, but regardless of their stress or non-stress value. They also changed their approach behavior when exposed to the dishabituation stimuli. Lambs displayed some behavioral signs of discrimination between the habituation and dishabituation odors, but regardless of their relation to stress or non-stress of human donors. In sum, this exploratory study suggests that young sheep respond negatively to the odor of unfamiliar humans, without showing any specific emotional contagion related to the stress odor. This exploratory study suggests young ovines can detect human body odor, a further step toward understanding the human-sheep relationship.

High genetic diversity of Anaplasma ovis in sheep from Bosnia and Herzegovina.

BACKGROUND: Ovine anaplasmosis (sensu stricto) is a rickettsial blood disease caused by the tick-borne species Anaplasma ovis. The disease is characterized by mild anemia, fever, and icterus. A more severe clinical presentation is possible in non-endemic areas. There is no existing data on the presence of Anaplasma ovis in Bosnia and Herzegovina. However, given the country's location within the Mediterranean Basin and the recent molecular detection of Babesia ovis, it is plausible that sheep in the region could naturally be infected with this tick-borne pathogen. METHODS AND RESULTS: Blood samples from 81 sheep in the Podrinje and Herzegovina areas were examined by PCR. PCR positivity was found in 38 (46.9%) cases indicating a high number of infected sheep. Mixed infections with Babesia ovis and A.ovis were observed in 63.3% of cases. A higher number of positive sheep was recorded in the area of Herzegovina. Phylogenetic analysis of the gltA, groEL, and msp4 genes of A. ovis revealed numerous genotypes and significant genetic variability. This diversity was not related to geographic origin, tick-borne infection status, or sheep breeding practices in Podrinje and Herzegovina. CONCLUSIONS: The data obtained in this study suggest that the emergence of new genotypes and the high genetic variability of A. ovis are driven by specific local and micro-environmental factors.

Environmental distribution of Echinococcus- and Taenia spp.-contaminated dog feces in Kyrgyzstan.

Recently, there have been epidemics of human cystic echinococcosis (CE) and alveolar echinococcosis (AE) in Kyrgyzstan. This study investigated 2 districts for the presence of Echinococcus granulosus s.l. and Echinococcus multilocularis eggs; species identity was confirmed by polymerase chain reaction in dog feces and the level of environmental contamination with parasite eggs in 2017­2018 was also investigated. In the Alay district 5 villages with a high reported annual incidence of AE of 162 cases per 100 000 and 5 villages in the Kochkor district which had a much lower incidence of 21 cases per 100 000 were investigated. However, the proportion of dog feces containing E. granulosus s.l. eggs was ~4.2 and ~3.5% in Alay and Kochkor respectively. For E. multilocularis, the corresponding proportions were 2.8 and 3.2%. Environmental contamination of Echinococcus spp. eggs was estimated using the McMaster technique for fecal egg counts, weight and density of canine feces. The level of environmental contamination with E. multilocularis eggs was similar at 4.4 and 5.0 eggs per m2 in Alay and Kochkor respectively. The corresponding values for E. granulosus s.l. were 8.3 and 7.5 eggs per m2. There was no association between village or district level incidence of human AE or CE and the proportion of dog feces containing eggs of Echinococcus spp. or the level of environmental contamination. Increased contamination of taeniid eggs occured in the autumn, after the return of farmers with dogs from summer mountain pastures.

Molecular detection and characterization of Anaplasma ovis, Theileria ovis, and Theileria lestoquardi in sheep and goats in Luxor, Egypt.

BACKGROUND: Tick-borne diseases cause economically significant losses to animal production globally, and anaplasmosis and theileriosis are associated with the greatest losses. However, the spread of the relevant pathogens in flocks of domesticated animals in southern Egypt is little understood. Accordingly, in this study, we aimed to determine the prevalences of Anaplasma ovis, Theileria ovis, and Theileria lestoquardi in southern Egyptian sheep and goats through blood tests, and to make a molecular characterization of the A. ovis detected in sheep targeting a specific gene. RESULTS: We collected blood samples collected from 300 sheep and goats (n=150 /species) in Luxor Province in southern Egypt, and analyzed them for the presence of A. ovis, T. ovis and T. lestoquardi with screening by conventional and nested PCR targeting the msp4 and msp5, 18S rRNA, and merozoite surface protein genes. For A. ovis 140/300 samples (46.66%) were positive overall, with 90/150 (60%) and 50/150 (33.33%) positive samples in sheep and goats, respectively. Two major surface protein genes of A. ovis, msp4 and msp5, were sequenced using DNA extracted from sheep and goat blood samples, for phylogenetic analysis and genotyping. The msp4 gene sequence revealed no significant genetic diversity, to contrast to data on A. ovis strains from other countries. For T. lestoquardi, 8/150 (5.33%) samples were positive in sheep, but no samples were positive in goats (0%). For T. ovis, 32/150 (21.33%) samples were positive in sheep, but no samples were positive in goats (0%). Sequencing targeting the merozoite surface protein gene for T. lestoquardi and the small subunit ribosomal RNA gene for T. ovis revealed no significant genetic diversity in the study, another contrast to data on A. ovis strains from other countries. CONCLUSION: This study provides valuable data on phylogenetic and molecular classifications of A. ovis, T. ovis and T. lestoquardi found in southern Egyptian sheep and goats. It also represents the first report on detection and molecular characterization of T. lestoquardi in southern Egyptian sheep based on the specific merozoite surface protein gene, thus providing valuable data for molecular characterization of this pathogen in southern Egypt.

Molecular characterization of Anaplasma ovis Msp4 protein in strains isolated from ticks in Turkey: A multi-epitope synthetic vaccine antigen design against Anaplasma ovis using immunoinformatic tools.

Tick-borne pathogens increasingly threaten animal and human health as well as cause great economic loss in the livestock industry. Among these pathogens, Anaplasma ovis causing a decrease in meat and milk yield is frequently detected in sheep in many countries including Turkey. This study aimed to reveal potential vaccine candidate epitopes in Msp4 protein using sequence data from Anaplasma ovis isolates and then to design a multi-epitope protein to be used in vaccine formulations against Anaplasma ovis. For this purpose, Msp4 gene was sequenced from Anaplasma ovis isolates (n:6) detected in ticks collected from sheep in Turkey and the sequence data was compared with previous sequences from different countries in order to detect the variations of Msp4 gene/protein. Potential vaccine candidate and diagnostic epitopes were predicted using various immunoinformatics tools. Among the discovered vaccine candidate epitopes, antigenic and conserved were selected, and then a multi-epitope protein was designed. The designed vaccine protein was tested for the assessment of TLR-2, IgG, and IFN-g responses by molecular docking and immune simulation analyses. Among the discovered epitopes, EVASEGSGVM and YQFTPEISLV epitopes with properties of high antigenicity, non-allergenicity, and non-toxicity were proposed to be used for Anaplasma ovis in further serodiagnostic and vaccine studies.

MFSD2A frameshift variant in Kerry Hill sheep with microcephaly.

Microcephaly is a rare neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by reduced skull circumference and brain volume that occurs sporadically in farm animals. We investigated an early-onset neurodegenerative disorder observed in seven lambs of purebred Kerry Hill sheep. Clinical signs included inability to stand or severe ataxia, convulsions, and early death. Diagnostic imaging and brain necropsy confirmed microcephaly. The pedigree of the lambs suggested monogenic autosomal recessive inheritance. We sequenced the genome of one affected lamb, and comparison with 115 control genomes revealed a single private protein-changing variant. This frameshift variant, MFSD2A: c.285dupA, p.(Asp96fs*9), represents a 1-bp duplication predicted to truncate 80% of the open reading frame. MFSD2A is a transmembrane protein that is essential for maintaining blood-brain barrier homeostasis and plays a key role in regulating brain lipogenesis. Human MFSD2A pathogenic variants are associated with a neurodevelopmental disorder with progressive microcephaly, spasticity, and brain imaging abnormalities (NEDMISBA, OMIM 616486). Here we present evidence for the occurrence of a recessively inherited form of microcephaly in sheep due to a loss-of-function variant in MFSD2A (OMIA 002371-9940). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of a spontaneous MFSD2A variant in domestic animals.

A single base pair duplication in the SLC33A1 gene is associated with fetal losses and neonatal lethality in Manech Tête Rousse dairy sheep.

We recently discovered that the Manech Tête Rousse (MTR) deficient homozygous haplotype 2 (MTRDHH2) probably carries a recessive lethal mutation in sheep. In this study, we fine-mapped this region through whole-genome sequencing of five MTRDHH2 heterozygous carriers and 95 non-carriers from various ovine breeds. We identified a single base pair duplication within the SLC33A1 gene, leading to a frameshift mutation and a premature stop codon (p.Arg246Alafs*3). SLC33A1 encodes a transmembrane transporter of acetyl-coenzyme A that is crucial for cellular metabolism. To investigate the lethality of this mutation in homozygous MTR sheep, we performed at-risk matings using artificial insemination (AI) between heterozygous SLC33A1 variant carriers (SLC33A1_dupG). Pregnancy was confirmed 15 days post-AI using a blood test measuring interferon Tau-stimulated MX1 gene expression. Ultrasonography between 45 and 60 days post-AI revealed a 12% reduction in AI success compared with safe matings, indicating embryonic/fetal loss. This was supported by the MX1 differential expression test suggesting fetal losses between 15 and 60 days of gestation. We also observed a 34.7% pre-weaning mortality rate in 49 lambs born from at-risk matings. Homozygous SLC33A1_dupG lambs accounted for 47% of this mortality, with deaths occurring mostly within the first 5 days without visible clinical signs. Therefore, appropriate management of SLC33A1_dupG with an allele frequency of 0.04 in the MTR selection scheme would help increase overall fertility and lamb survival.

Loss-of-function variant in the ovine TMCO6 gene in North Country Cheviot sheep with motor neuron disease.

In North Country Cheviot lambs with early-onset progressive ataxia and motor neuron degeneration, whole-genome sequencing identified a homozygous loss-of-function variant in the ovine transmembrane and coiled-coil domains (TMCO6) gene. The familial recessive form of motor neuron disease in sheep is due to a pathogenic 4 bp deletion leading to a 50% protein truncation that is assumed to result in the absence of a functional TMCO6. This uncharacterised protein is proposed to interact with ubiquilin 1 which is associated with Alzheimer's disease, whereas sporadic forms of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis are caused by variants in UBQLN2. Our findings provide a first spontaneous animal model for TMCO6, which could have implications in the studies of other comparative neurodegenerative diseases. In addition, these results will allow the design of a genetic test to prevent the occurrence of this fatal disease in the affected sheep population.

Amplification of Ovis aries papillomavirus type 2 DNA from an ovine cutaneous fibropapilloma.

Seven of 60 Perendale sheep within a flock developed single or multiple exophytic masses on their distal hind limbs. A mass was excised from one sheep and histological evaluation revealed epidermal and mesenchymal proliferation, papillomavirus-induced keratinocyte changes and marked keratohyalin clumping. Ovis aries papillomavirus type 2 DNA sequences were amplified using PCR.

Sept des 60 moutons Perendale d'un troupeau ont développé des masses exophytiques uniques ou multiples sur leurs membres postérieurs distaux. Une masse a été excisée sur un mouton et l'évaluation histologique a révélé une prolifération épidermique et mésenchymateuse, des modifications kératinocytaires induites par le papillomavirus et une agglutination marquée de kératohyaline. Les séquences d'ADN du papillomavirus Ovis aries de type 2 ont été amplifiées par PCR.

Sete de 60 ovelhas Perendale de um rebanho desenvolveram massas exofíticas na porção distal dos seus membros posteriores. Uma massa foi removida de uma ovelha e a avaliação histopatológica revelou proliferação mesenquimal e epidérmica, alterações queratinocíticas induzidas por papilomavírus e aglomeração queratohialina. Sequências de papilomavírus Ovis aries tipo 2 foram amplificadas utilizando PCR.

Siete de 60 ovejas Perendale dentro de un rebaño desarrollaron masas exofíticas únicas o múltiples en sus extremidades traseras distales. Se extirpó una masa de una oveja y la evaluación histológica reveló proliferación epidérmica y mesenquimal, cambios de queratinocitos inducidos por el virus del papiloma y marcada acumulación de queratohialina. Mediante PCR se amplificaron secuencias de DNA del virus del papiloma Ovis aries tipo 2.

Chromosome-Scale Genome Assembly of the Sheep-Biting Louse Bovicola ovis Using Nanopore Sequencing Data and Pore-C Analysis.

Bovicola ovis, commonly known as the sheep-biting louse, is an ectoparasite that adversely affects the sheep industry. Sheep louse infestation lowers the quality of products, including wool and leather, causing a loss of approximately AUD 123M per annum in Australia alone. The lack of a high-quality genome assembly for the sheep-biting louse, as well as any closely related livestock lice, has hindered the development of louse research and management control tools. In this study, we present the assembly of B. ovis with a genome size of ~123 Mbp based on a nanopore long-read sequencing library and Illumina RNA sequencing, complemented with a chromosome-level scaffolding using the Pore-C multiway chromatin contact dataset. Combining multiple alignment and gene prediction tools, a comprehensive annotation on the assembled B. ovis genome was conducted and recalled 11,810 genes as well as other genomic features including orf, ssr, rRNA and tRNA. A manual curation using alignment with the available closely related louse species, Pediculus humanus, increased the number of annotated genes to 16,024. Overall, this study reported critical genetic resources and biological insights for the advancement of sheep louse research and the development of sustainable control strategies in the sheep industry.

Nutritional strategies, performance, digestibility, and carcass traits of Santa Ines and Rabo Largo breeds in a tropical climate.

The aim of this study was to compare the performance, intake, digestibility, ruminal parameters, carcass traits, and the yield of commercial cuts of Santa Ines (SI) and Rabo Largo (RL) breeds fed diets with high or low roughage-to-concentrate ratio (R:C) under a tropical climate. Twenty lambs from each breed were individually housed in covered pens and fed the experimental diets for 58 days. The diets were formulated to meet the growth requirements of lambs with a roughage-to-concentrate ratio of 70:30 and 30:70. Significant interactions of breed × diet for nutrient intake were observed (P < 0.05), with SI lambs fed low R:C diet showing higher intake of dry matter, organic matter, crude protein, and total carbohydrates compared to RL lambs fed the same diet. SI lambs fed high R:C diet had higher intake of neutral detergent fiber than RL lambs (P < 0.05). SI lambs displayed better average daily gain and feed efficiency, regardless of diet (P < 0.05). Carcass traits and gastrointestinal components were influenced by breed and diet (P < 0.05). SI lambs fed low R:C diet showed higher subcutaneous fat thickness and better carcass finishing compared to RL lambs (P < 0.05). SI breed lambs exhibited better growth performance, carcass traits, and gastrointestinal characteristics, even when fed diets with a high roughage-to-concentrate ratio.

Sequencing and characterization of Helcococcus ovis: a comprehensive comparative genomic analysis of virulence.

BACKGROUND: Helcococcus ovis (H. ovis) is an emerging bacterial pathogen that commonly causes opportunistic respiratory, mammary, and uterine infections across mammalian hosts. This study applied long- and short-read whole genome sequencing technologies to identify virulence factors in five H. ovis isolates with low, medium, and high virulence phenotypes. RESULTS: The resulting assemblies contained one circular chromosome ranging from 1,744,566 to 1,850,083 bp in length and had a mean GC content of 27.6%. Phylogenetic and nucleotide identity analyses found low virulence strain KG38 to be part of a clade that forms an outgroup apart from the rest of the H. ovis taxon. Assembling the first complete genomes of the species revealed major genomic rearrangements in KG38. One to six prophage regions were identified in each genome. A novel pathogenicity island was found exclusively in the two high virulence strains (KG37 and KG104), along with two hypothetical transmembrane proteins designated as putative VFs. Finally, three zinc ABC transporters and three Type-II/IV secretion systems were identified as possible virulence determinants in this species. The low virulence strain KG38 has fewer intact paralogs of these operons in its genome compared to the higher virulence isolates, which strongly suggests a role in virulence. This strain is also missing four putative virulence factors (VFs) found in other isolates associated with adherence (collagen adhesin precursor), immune evasion (choline-binding protein A and a PspA-like hypothetical protein) and cell wall synthesis (glycerol-3-phosphate cytidylyltransferase). CONCLUSIONS: In this study, we assembled reference-quality complete genomes for five H. ovis strains to identify putative virulence factors. Phylogenetic analyses of H. ovis isolates revealed the presence of a clade representing a potentially novel species within the genus Helcococcus. A novel pathogenicity island and two hypothetical transmembrane proteins were found exclusively in high-virulence strains. The identification of Zinc ABC transporters and Type-II/IV secretion systems as possible virulence determinants, along with the differences in operon content between the low and high virulence isolates, strongly suggests they also play a role in the bacterium's pathogenicity. Taken together, these findings are a valuable first step toward deciphering the pathogenesis of H. ovis infections.

Global haplotype distribution of Babesia ovis inferred by 18S rRNA sequences; a phylogeographical systematic review.

The genetic variability of apicomplexan parasite Babesia species is a principal strategy used by piroplasma to evade their hosts' immune responses. The purpose of this review was to evaluate our current knowledge on global haplotype distribution and phylogeography of Babesia ovis derived from sheep, goat, horse and ixodid (hard) ticks. Bibliographic English databases were searched from 2017 to 2023, identifying a total of 11 publications. The 18S ribosomal RNA (18S rRNA) sequences of B. ovis from Asia, Europe, and Africa were retrieved and subjected to estimate the genetic diversity and phylogenetic assessment. A haplotype network indicated a total of 29 haplotypes being classified into two distinct geographical haplogroups I and II including Nigeria and Uganda-derived B. ovis isolates. A moderately high level of genetic diversity was characterized in sheep/tick-derived B. ovis isolates originating from Iraq (Haplotype diversity: 0.781) and Turkey (Hd: 0.841). Based on the cladistic phylogenetic tree, two geographically different lineages of A and B were genetically differentiated except for Turkish isolates, indicating haplotype migration occurred between various geographical clades. In addition, the topology of UPGMA tree indicated that B. ovis population has a distinct clade compared to the rest clades of ovine babesiosis (B. crassa and B. motasi). The present results strengthen our knowledge to evaluate the evolutionary paradigms and transmission dynamics of B. ovis in different regions of the world; also it will provide groundwork for public health policy to control ovine babesiosis.

Trait-dependent associations between early- and late-life reproduction in a wild mammal.

Early- versus late-life trade-offs are a central prediction of life-history theory that are expected to shape the evolution of ageing. While ageing is widely observed in wild vertebrates, evidence that early-late trade-offs influence ageing rates remains limited. Vertebrate reproduction is a complex, multi-stage process, yet few studies have examined how different aspects of early-life reproductive allocation shape late-life performance and ageing. Here, we use longitudinal data from a 36-year study of wild Soay sheep to show that early-life reproduction predicts late-life reproductive performance in a trait-dependent manner. Females that started breeding earlier showed more rapid declines in annual breeding probability with age, consistent with a trade-off. However, age-related declines in offspring first-year survival and birth weight were not associated with early-life reproduction. Selective disappearance was evident in all three late-life reproductive measures, with longer-lived females having higher average performance. Our results provide mixed support for early-late reproductive trade-offs and show that the way early-life reproduction shapes late-life performance and ageing can differ among reproductive traits.

Prevalence of Oestrus ovis in small ruminants from the eastern Iberian Peninsula. A long-term study.

Oestrus ovis is an obligate parasite that causes myiasis in domestic ruminants, being commonly found in the Mediterranean area. From 2009 to 2019 a total of 3476 heads of culling sheep and goats from the Mediterranean coast of Spain were examined for the presence of O. ovis. The total prevalence was 56.3%, significantly higher in sheep than in goats (61.2% and 43%, respectively). Differences were found in the mean annual prevalence, with the highest value being registered in 2018 (61.7%) and the lowest in 2012 (50.3%). Autumn, for sheep, and winter, for goats, were the seasons with the highest number of infested specimens. Temperature, but not rainfall, was found to be associated with prevalence (p < 0.05). Most L1 were found in the anatomic region I (septum, meatus, and ventral conchae), while L2 and L3 were mainly located in regions II (nasopharynx, ethmoid labyrinth, and dorsal conchae), and III (sinuses). The overall intensity was 12.8 larvae per head, significantly higher in sheep (13.3) than in goats (3.5). Our results confirm the high prevalence of O. ovis in sheep and goats in this geographic area over the last decade, with the trend increasing in recent years in association with higher mean temperatures.

First record of Babesia and Theileria parasites in ticks from Kassena-Nankana, Ghana.

Ticks are efficient vectors for transmitting pathogens that negatively affect livestock production and pose a risk to public health. In this study, Babesia and Theileria species were identified in ticks collected from cattle, sheep and goats from the Kassena-Nankana Districts of Ghana between February and December 2020. A total of 1550 ticks were collected, morphologically identified, pooled and screened for pathogens using primers that amplify a 560 bp fragment of the ssrRNA gene and Sanger sequencing. Amblyomma variegatum (62.98%) was the predominant tick species. From the 491 tick pools screened, 12/15 (2.44%) positive pools were successfully sequenced. The pathogen DNA identified were Theileria ovis in eight (15.38%) pools of Rhipicephalus evertsi evertsi, Theileria velifera in two (0.78%) pools of A. variegatum and Babesia occultans and Babesia sp. Xinjiang in one (1.72%) pool each of Hyalomma truncatum. It was further observed that T. ovis occurred in ticks collected from only sheep (p < 0.001) which were females (p = 0.023) and < =1 year old (p = 0.040). This study reports the first identification of these pathogens in ticks within Kassena-Nankana. With the constant trade of livestock, there is a need for effective tick control measures to prevent infection spread.

The InDel variants of sheep IGF2BP1 gene are associated with growth traits.

Insulin-like growth factor 2 mRNA binding protein 1 (IGF2BP1) plays positive roles in the growth, proliferation of cells and early embryos development by binding mRNA targets. Recently, it had been shown that some polymorphic loci within IGF2BP1 gene were associated with growth traits in animals, especially in goats. Therefore, it has been hypothesized that some variants within IGF2BP1 gene may be also involved in growth traits of sheep. Nine insertion/deletion (InDel) mutations within IGF2BP1 were identified and three loci were polymorphic. Meanwhile, the association analyses between three InDels and growth traits were carried out in 745 sheep. The results showed that all InDels included 5 bp InDel in downstream region, 9 bp InDel in intron 4 and 15 bp InDel in intron 2 within IGF2BP1 were significantly associated with growth traits (p<.05). Furthermore, at 5 and 9 bp InDel loci, the individuals of heterozygous genotype (ID) had superior growing performance especially at body weight (BW). In all, three InDels were crucial variants correlated with growth traits and could be applied in marker-assisted selection (MAS) in sheep.