Identification of Blood Protozoa Infestation Transmitted by Vector Tikes among Awassi Sheep Herds in Kifri City, Kurdistan Region of Iraq

Blood protozoan disease is a common disease among animals in the Kifri city, Kurdistan region of Iraq that this disease is mostly transmitted by ticks. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the level of blood protozoan and to identify vector ticks in the native breed sheep (Awassi sheep) in Kifri city. For this purpose, blood samples were taken from 150 sheep suspected suffering from protozoan infection according to their clinical symptoms. In the present study, we prepared blood slides from suspected sheep and stained with Giemsa staining, and then at the same time, hard ticks were collected from the sheep’s body. Then, the protozoan type was diagnosed and the vector tick species were identified by microscopically. The obtained results were statistically analyzed by the chi-square test. The results showed that 35 (23.33%) of that samples were infected with Babesia protozoa as 25 samples (16.66%) were infected with Babesia ovis, seven samples (4.66%) with Babesia mutasi, and three samples (2%) with B. ovis and B. mutasi. No infestation with Theileria and Anaplasma species was found. Rhipicephalus, Hyalomma, Dermacentor, and Haemaphysalis ticks were isolated and identified from the studied sheep. The results showed that the presence of the Rhipicephalus bursa tick is significantly (P < 0.05) related to the existence of Babesiosis disease in sheep. This study concluded that most of the studied sheep in Kifri city are infected with Babesia protozoa, especially B. ovis.