Morphological and Molecular Characterization of Dicrocoelium dendriticum isolated from livestock in Erbil, Iraq

Background: One of the most significant ruminant helminthic parasites that are present across the world are liver flukes, which cause economically significant diseases in domestic animals. Among the liver flukes are Dicrocoelium spp., which inhabit the gallbladder and hepatic bile ducts of both domestic and wild ruminants. Numerous species of the Dicrocoelium, are responsible for the zoonotic disease known as dicrocoeliosis. Aims: The primary goal of this research is given comprehensive characterization of D. dendriticum isolated from the liver of sheep and cattle in Erbil, Kurdistan region-Iraq, through morphological examination and molecular analysis, including phylogenetic analysis, haplotype network, and secondary structure prediction Results: Morphological and molecular data confirmed the identity of the Iraqi isolates of D. dendriticum, and phylogenetic tree showed that Iraqi D. dendriticum clusters closely related with D. dendriticum, forming a distinct subclade supported by bootstrap values ranging from 65% to 100%. Haplotype analysis and RNA secondary structure indicate genetic variation. Conclusions: In animal slaughterhouses, clinical diagnosis of D. dendriticum is difficult, particularly due to its small size and the presence of mild infections. Therefore, more information about this zoonotic parasite is necessary.