Molecular Investigation of the Prevalence of Sarcocystis spp. in Minced Sheep Meat from Aksaray Province

Abstract

Sarcocystis spp. are apicomplexan zoonotic coccidian parasites with an obligate two-host life cycle. In this studythe presence of Sarcocystis spp. was investigated in 100 minced sheep meat samples collected from butcher shops and markets in Aksaray province and its districtslocated in the Central Anatolia region of Türkiyeby conventional PCR targeting the 18S rDNA gene. A positivity rate of 65% was detected in the sampleswith the highest prevalence found in Güzelyurt district (75%) and the lowest prevalence in Ortaköy district (58.33%). Molecular analyses based on conventional PCR targeting the 18S rDNA gene identified Sarcocystis gigantea and Sarcocystis tenella species. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that these isolates exhibited high similarity with corresponding species from different regions of the world. Two representative PCR-positive isolates were subjected to bidirectional sequencingand sequence editing and alignment were performed using BioEditwhile phylogenetic analysis was conducted in MEGA 12 using the Maximum Likelihood methodThe study demonstrates that Sarcocystis infections are prevalent in sheep in the region and may pose a potential risk to public healthhighlighting the importance of molecular surveillancehygienic meat productionand proper cooking practices for food safety.