Background: Tick-borne diseases are widely distributed among animal populations and responsible for significant economic losses. However, little attention has been offered for screening such infections world widely. Anaplasma phagocytophilum is among those neglected tick-borne pathogens particularly in the developing countries
Aims: This study was conducted in order to detect A. phagocytophilum infection among sheep in three governorates of Iraq (Babylon, Wasit and Missan) and to try to identify the potential tick vector responsible for A. phagocytophilum transmission among sheep in these analysed regions.
Methods: A total of 297 blood samples and 103 ticks were collected and examined for A. phagocytophilum by PCR using specific primers amplifying partial sequence for msp4 gene.
Results: The results showed that about 14 out of 297 tested sheep were positive for A. phagocytophilum. There was no difference between A. phygocytophilum prevalence according to animal gender, age and sampling period. Furthermore, our analysis showed that the main vectors of A. phagocytophilum: Ixodes scapularis, I. pacificus or I. ricinus were not identified in the three regions of Iraq (Rhipicephalus turanicus, Hyalomma anatolicum and Hyalomma turanicum were identifiied).
Conclusion: These results highlight the importance of the survey of the tick-borne bacterial infections in Iraq and in the Middle East region in general.
Key words: Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Prevalence, Sheep, Ticks, PCR, Iraq
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