ABSTRACT

This study was carried out in order to investigate the presence of Theileria ovis in small ruminants in the Elazig region between April-October 2004. A total of 164 whole blood and thin blood smears (from 103 sheep and 61 goats) were collected from 15 flocks in different locations. T. ovis piroplasm DNA extracted from sheep and goats’ blood was amplified by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using specific primers. Thin blood smears were examined for Theileria piroplasms by microscopic examination. In the examination of DNA extracted from 103 sheep and 61 goats, amplification with the molecular length 520 base pair was obtained in 67.96% (70/103) and 1.63% (1/61), respectively. In the microscopic examination of thin blood smears, Theileria spp. were observed in 40 out of 103 sheep (38.83%), but Theileria spp. were not seen in goats. The difference between microscopic examination and the PCR results was statistically significant (p<0.01).