Morphological and Molecular Identification of Ticks Infested in Stray Dogs within Nay Pyi Taw Area, Myanmar

The number of pet dogs is increasing in Myanmarwhile the numbers of infected stray dogs are roaming at streets, fresh open markets, and other public places in Myanmar's urban areas.As in many other countries, thedog has become a bonded family member.Among canine diseases, the zoonotic diseases are of significant importancein public health (Day, 2011; Irwin, 2014).Ticks are one of the most common ecto parasites in dogs and are involved in the Research ArticleAbstract | Rhipicephalus sanguineus, the brown dog tick, is the most widespread tick in the world and transmits broad range of pathogens to dogs.The aim of this study was to identify the tick species infested in dogs by using a combination of LM and molecular analysis.A total of 237 tick samples were collected from dogs and identified by using Light Microscope (LM) and molecular technique.Morphological identification revealed that all of tick infestation in dogs was R. sanguineus spp.and 16SrRNA gene of R. sanguineus species sequences analyses proved 100% sequences identitieswhen compared with the reference data in Genbank records.The present studies confirm R. sanguineus is common tick species infesting in dogs within Nay Pyi Taw area.