| Summary: | Small ruminant piroplasmosis is the hemoparasitic infection of sheep and goats caused by <i>Babesia</i> and <i>Theileria</i> species responsible for clinical infections with high mortality outcomes. The disease is transmitted by ixodid ticks and prevalent in the tropical and subtropical regions of the world, including Türkiye. A prevalence survey, using molecular methods, is conducted in this study to determine the frequency of newly defined <i>Babesia aktasi</i> n. sp. and other tick-borne piroplasm species in small ruminants in Turkiye. A total of 640 blood samples from sheep (n = 137) and goats (n = 503) were analyzed by nested PCR-based reverse line blot (RLB) hybridization. The results show that 32.3% (207/640) of apparently healthy, small ruminants are infected with three <i>Theileria</i> and two <i>Babesia</i> species. <i>Babesia aktasi</i> n. sp. was the most prevalent species in goats, with 22.5% of samples being positive, followed by <i>B. ovis</i> (4%), <i>T. ovis</i> (2.8%), <i>T. annulata</i> (2.6%), and <i>Theileria</i> sp. (0.6%). None of the sheep samples were positive for <i>Babesia aktasi</i> n. sp.; however, 51.8% were infected with <i>T. ovis</i>. In conclusion, the findings reveal that <i>B. aktasi</i> n. sp. is highly prevalent in goats, but absent in sheep. In future studies, experimental infections will determine whether <i>B. aktasi</i> n. sp. is infectious to sheep, as well as its pathogenicity in small ruminants.
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