Molecular Study of Ticks; Hyalomma Anatolicum, Isolated from Sheep in Al-Diwaniyah Province, Iraq

Abstract

   Almost all livestock animals are susceptible to ticks considered vectors and reservoirs for many tick-borne pthogenes, causing severe and fatal zoonotic diseases affecting humans and animals' health, such as Crimean Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) virus. Due to this importance, ticks must be characterized using different tools, such as molecular, which helps epidemiological and control programs related to ticks. The current study was conducted during September 2018 and January 2019; fifty ticks were collected from sheep raised in Al-Saniyah territory, Al-Diwaniyah Province, Iraq. Then, the ticks were classified according to morphology, and 20 ticks were identified using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to confirm the morphological specifications using the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COX1) gene as a target. Finally, six purified PCR products were conducted to a partial gene sequencing (PGS) method to identify the tick species and compare them to the global isolates. The morphological identification showed that ticks appeared to be from the genus Hyalomma, which was PCR-confirmed. Furthermore, the PGS revealed that the local tick isolates belonged to Hyalomma anatolicum, and they were firmly nucleotide-similar to strains from Pakistan and China. The results of the phylogenetic analysis showed probable evolutionary links to the Pakistanian and Chinese isolates.