INFECTION OF CATTLE AND IXODID TICKS BY CAUSATIVE AGENTS OF PYROPLASMIDOSIS IN WESTERN KAZAKHSTAN

The study on the infection of cattle and ixodid ticks with causative agents of pyroplasmidosis in the West Kazakhstan region analyzed 100 blood samples of cattle and 93 samples of ixodid ticks. The diagnosis was performed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using specific primers for 18S rRNA of haematophagous parasites. The conducted studies found that out of 100 examined cattle blood samples, PCR products with a size of 400 bp were detected in 32, which indicates the haematophagous parasite DNA in these samples. The infection prevalence was 32%. Of 11 ixodid mite samples studied, PCR products with a size of 400 bp were found in 1, which indicates the haematophagous parasite DNA in these samples. The infection prevalence was 9% in the ticks. When identifying the detected parasites in the positive blood samples from the cattle and ixodid ticks, the PCR with the Theileria annulata, Theileria sergenti, Theileria orientalis and Babesia bovis DNA specific primers was found to have PCR products with a size of 250 bp that were typical for Theileria annulata.