ABSTRACT
ABSTRACT
The food-borne zoonotic disease Dicrocoeliosis that infects the liver of
domestic and wild ruminants. The disease in different regions of the world is
caused by Dicrocoelium (D.) dendriticum, D. hospes, and D. chinensis. Finding
alternate strategies to manage Dicrocoelium spp. is becoming essential. To find
novel management strategies, and a comprehensive understanding of the parasite
identification is necessary. To meet the requirement of the study, samples were
collected from abattoirs of Erbil Governorate from the hepatic bile ducts of
livestock from July to September 2024; specimens were morphologically identified
using staining technique and Scanning electron microscopy, and validated through
molecular DNA data. This study also included further investigations regarding
Dicrocoelium in general, such as the phases of the eggs, their locations in the
uterus, and selecting the best laboratory methods to preserve the parasite. The
first record of D. hospes in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq has been documented. The
identification of this species was confirmed through molecular analysis using
universal primer 28S rDNA and this contributes to understanding the geographic
distribution of this species. In addition to D. hospes, D. dendriticum was
molecularly identified using the same primer and compared to neighboring
species using a phylogenetic tree.
