Molecular Study of Theileria annulata and Anaplasma spp. in Ixodid Ticks from Southern Regions of the Republic of Kazakhstan

Ixodid ticks are vectors of pathogens that cause dangerous infectious and parasitic diseases in animals, leading to reduced productivity and, in some cases, mass mortality. In Kazakhstan, information on tick fauna and their epizootological role in the transmission of hemoparasites is limited. This study aimed to determine the species composition of ixodid ticks parasitizing cattle in the Almaty, Zhambyl, and Turkistan oblasts, and to assess their potential role in the transmission of Theileria and Anaplasma spp. A total of 3121 ixodid ticks were collected from cattle, belonging to the genera Hyalomma (86.9%; 2711/3121), Rhipicephalus (8.5%; 266/3121), Dermacentor (3.2%; 101/3121), and Haemaphysalis (1.4%; 43/3121). Morphological identification revealed that ticks of the genus Hyalomma, including Hyalomma scupense (31.7%), Hyalomma asiaticum (27.9%), and Hyalomma anatolicum (19.6%), were the predominant species. Rhipicephalus annulatus was recorded for the first time in the Almaty and Zhambyl oblasts. Partial sequencing of the cox1 gene confirmed the species identification obtained by morphological examination. A total of 113 representative ticks were subjected to DNA extraction for the identification of Theileria and Anaplasma species using conventional PCR with primers targeting the 28SrRNA and GroEL genes, respectively. No Anaplasma spp. were detected in the analyzed tick samples. Theileria annulata DNA was identified in seven nymphs of Hy. scupense (6.1%) collected in the Zhambyl oblast, and for the first time in Kazakhstan, in one female Rhipicephalus annulatus (0.9%) collected in the Almaty oblast. The overall infection prevalence of Theileria annulata was 7.0% (8/113).