First Molecular Identification and Prevalence of Sarcocystis spp. in Sheep Intended for Human Consumption in Shanxi Province, China

<i>Sarcocystis</i> species are intracellular coccidian protozoans that can infect a range of animals and humans and cause public health problems and economically significant losses. Sarcocystosis in sheep (<i>Ovis aries</i>) can cause abortion, neurological symptoms, and even death and results in significant economic losses to the livestock industry. To date, however, it is yet unknown whether sheep in Shanxi Province, north China, are infected with <i>Sarcocystis</i> spp. The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of <i>Sarcocystis</i> spp. in sheep in Shanxi Province. Thus, 582 muscle samples of sheep were purchased from farmers' markets from ten representative counties in Shanxi Province, north China, and examined for the presence and prevalence of <i>Sarcocystis</i> spp. by PCR amplification of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (<i>cox</i>1) gene. Of the examined 582 mutton samples, 197 samples (33.85%) were <i>Sarcocystis</i>-positive and were sequenced. Of the obtained 197 <i>cox</i>1 sequences, 196 sequences showed nucleotide similarity of 98.56-99.81% with those of <i>S. tenella</i>, and the remaining one <i>cox</i>1 sequence showed nucleotide similarity of 99.71% with that of <i>S. arieticanis</i>. Two representative <i>cox</i>1 sequences of <i>S. tenella</i> (accession nos. PQ189447 and PQ189448) have 99.52% and 99.61% identity with <i>S. tenalla</i> (KC209725) and <i>S. tenalla</i> (MK419984), respectively. The sequence of <i>S. arieticanis</i> (accession no. PQ165949) obtained in this study has 99.71% identity with <i>S. arieticanis</i> (MK419975). This present study documents the occurrence and prevalence of <i>Sarcocystis</i> spp. in sheep in Shanxi Province for the first time, which enriches the data on the distribution of <i>Sarcocystis</i> spp. in sheep in China and has implications for the control of sheep sarcocystosis.