Seroprevalence of Linguatula serrata infection among sheep in Fars province, south of Iran

Linguatula serrata is an important zoonotic parasite at a global scale. The epidemiological role of sheep in transmission of linguatulosis has recently been demonstrated, but there is still a lack of information on the subject. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the occurrence and seroprevalence of L. serrata infection among sheep in Fars province, south of Iran, from December 2014 to September 2015. Blood samples were collected from 180 sheep in Shiraz abattoir. The antibody detection against L. serrata was made by counter immunoelectrophoresis (CIEP). Specific antibodies against L. serrata were detected in 84 (46.66%) out of 180 ovine sera. Out of 38 males, 21 under 1 year old (55.26 %) and out of 81 males, 36 older than 1 year (44.44%) were infected with nymphs. Fifteen out of 30 females under 1 year old (50%) and 12 out of 31 females above 1 year old (38.7%) were infected with nymphs. The age and the sex of infected sheep showed no significant differences between positive and negative cases (P≤0.05). The results of this study showed the presence of L. serrate among sheep in Iran, which could be a public health concern. According to the relatively high prevalence of L. serrata infection in sheep, implementation of control measures to reduce infection in both definitive and intermediate hosts are needed.