Molecular identification and phylogenetic analysis of Trypanosoma evansi in dromedaries (Camelus dromedarius) from Iran

Abstract

Surra is of great concern to countries in the world such as Iran, which have a considerable camel population. The present study was aimed at determining the prevalence of Trypanosoma evansi in the camels of Iran. A total of 167 blood samples from farmed camels were examined for the presence of T. evansi infection using parasitological and molecular methods. Blood smear examination revealed 10 (6%) positive samples, while the PCR method 14 (8.4%) found positive samples. Age, sex, and region were not determined as risk factors for T. evansi infection in this study. The phylogenetic tree inferred from VSG gene sequences of T. evansi clearly separated the sequences of this study into two clades, A and B, which reflects the intrasequence heterogeneity among Iranian isolates. The phylogenetic tree showed that Iranian T. evansi strains are members of the T. brucei clade.