Morphological and phylogenetic characterization of Oestrus ovis larvae in sheep: Al-Qadisiyah province, Iraq

Abstract

The fly larvae infect the nasal cavities and sinuses (frontal and maxillary) of sheep, goats, and a range of wild ruminants, forming a disease called oestrosis (Nasal myiasis or nasal bot). The disease is one of the significantly diseases for the Iraqi small ruminant industry that causes detrimental economic losses. The current work was carried out to morphologically-and molecularly-characterize O. ovis larvae collected from sheep in a slaughterhouse in Al-Qadisiyah province, Iraq. The study depended on collecting 20 larvae (at different stages) from 20 sheep from 15 October till 17 December 2020. The morphological examination was done using a stereomicroscope and relying on larval characteristic features, including the posterior end, spiracles, and cephalopharyngeal skeleton. The molecular characterization was performed utilizing polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and partial gene sequencing (PGS) methods of the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (cox1) gene at 700bp and 300-bp regions. Morphologically, the first-stage larvae (L1) showed characteristic mouth hooks, while the second-stage larvae (L2) revealed clear terminal stigmas. For the third-stage larvae (L3), the color of body segments and their spines' were the most important features for this larval stage. The PCR showed amplification at both regions 700bp and 300bp, in 8 and 7 isolates, respectively. The PGS revealed 15 different local isolates in genetic level aligned with isolates from Kyrgyzstan, Italy, Spain, and Turkey. This study shows the important strain differences of O. ovis that infect the local sheep in Al-Qadisiyah province, Iraq.

Prevalence and Histological Study of Oestrus ovis Larvae in Slaughtered Goat of Babylon City, Iraq

“…Some animals may present a serious infection when the larvae enter the brain through the foramina and they may develop encephalitis manifesting ataxia, hemiparesis, and blindness (Dasovic et al, 2022). The disease is worldwide and specifically reported in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Algeria, Benin, and Brazil (Ahaduzzaman, 2019;Alhayali et al, 2022). The disease is significant for the Iraqi small ruminant industry that causes detrimental economic losses.…”

Physiological and epidemiological study of some parasitic and viral enteric infections in dromedary camels in Al-Muthanna province

“…The number of camels in the Arabian countries is about 10.6 million. Parasites and viruses play a major role in causing harmful diseases either in humans or livestock in Al-Muthanna Province ( Alhayali et al, 2022;Al Se´adawy, 2010;Alsaadawi et al, 2018;Alsaadawi & Alkhuzaie, 2019;Alsaadawi & Alkhaled, 2015;Thwiny et al, 2021) including Iraq, due to economic losses and zoonotic importance (Chattaraj et al, 2022;Zayed & El-Ghaysh, 1998).…”

Morphological and Molecular Detection of Oestrus ovis Isolated from Goats in Babylon Province, Iraq

“…Reports of oestrosis have come in from all over the globe, including many Asian nations as well as European and African nations bordering the Mediterranean [19]. From an epidemiological perspective, sheep and goats worldwide are infested by the disease has a substantial impact on the Iraqi small ruminant industry, resulting in enormous economic losses [20][21][22] the control of this condition depends on treatment with macrocyclic lactones and nitroxinil Reinfections are common, and controlling nasal bots is not so simple [23][24][25]. The present study aimed to conduct morphological and molecular characterization of O. ovis larvae obtained from goats at a slaughterhouse in Babylon city, Iraq.…”