Identification, molecular characterization and risk factors ofinfection among sheep: a first comprehensive report from North India.

Abstract

The present study was aimed at the identification, molecular characterization, and risk factor assessment ofinfection among sheep of Haryana province, north India. A total of 402 blood samples were collected from three different climatic zones of Haryana from March 2020 to September 2021. Light microscopy of blood smears revealedspp. infection in 47.26% ( = 190), while 60.94% ( = 245) of blood samples were positive using nested PCR. Extensive molecular characterization ofinfection using four pairs of species-specific primers indicated the dominance of(29.1%) followed by(12.69%),(5.97%) and(1.49%). Mixed infection was detected in 11.69% of cases. Bidirectional sequencing and phylogeny further confirmed the presence of these fourspp. in the investigated area under study. Hematology indicated a significant ( 0.01) reduction in various haematological indices of animals infected withandcompared to the healthy control group. Risk factors like age, sex, and zone were significantly associated withinfection in sheep. The present investigation depicts the first comprehensive molecular report of ovinespp., which warrants further study to develop suitable control strategies against these haemoparasitic infections.