Genetic characterization of Echinococcus granulosus in sheep and cattle: Evidence of G1 strain predominance in Kurdistan, Iraq

Abstract
Echinococcus granulosus, a dog tapeworm, is the source of the silent helminthic illness known as cystic echinococcosis. This investigation included molecular genotyping of cysts obtained from the different organs of infected sheep and cattle in the abattoir. A total of twenty-eight echinococcal cysts were isolated from liver and lungs of fifteen sheeps and thirteen cattles. Collected samples were analyzed using the mitochondrial cox1 gene. Gel electrophoresis was used to verify the produced amplicons. The results showed that a fragment of 446 bps was revealed. Four amplicons are present in these samples that were selected for sequencing, genotyping, and phylogenetic analysis, which was constructed by comparing the obtained sequences (MW599304 and MW599308 for sheep and MW599306 and MW599307 for cattle) with those recorded in the NCBI-BLAST. The nucleotide sequence alignment with the recorded nucleotide in the NCBI indicated that all samples of the sheep strain belong to G1. According to the findings of this investigation, the G1 strain of sheep predominated, and this strain generally is responsible for echinococcosis in animals and humans.

Author
Wijdan

DOI
https://www.doi.org/10.21608/bbj.2025.364812.1096

Publisher

ISSN
2974-4342

Publish Date: