Mohammad Bagher Rokni - Department of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Homayoon Bashiri - Infectious Diseases Research Center, Health Institute, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran
Saber Raeghi - Department of Laboratory Sciences, Maragheh University of Medical Sciences, Maragheh, Iran
Aref Teimouri - Department of Parasitology and Mycology, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
Vahid Shojaeimotlagh - Department of Medical Surgical Nursing, Khoy University of Medical Sciences, Khoy, Iran
Mohammad Reza Shiee - Department of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Arezoo Bozorgomid - Infectious Diseases Research Center, Health Institute, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran

Over the last decade, diagnostic tools to detect and differentiate Fasciola species have improved, but our understanding of the distribution of haplotypes and population structure of this parasite is less clear. This study was designed to survey this gap in the F. gigantica epidemiology in Kermanshah province, western Iran from ۲۰۱۵ to ۲۰۱۷.Sixty-eight Fasciola isolates were collected from slaughterhouses from this province. We evaluated the PCR-RFLP assay of the ITS۱ genes for the identification of Fasciola species using the RsaI enzyme. After Fasciola species identification, the partial sequence of mitochondrial NADH dehydrogenase subunit ۱ (ND۱) gene of F. gigantica was used for subsequent construction of the phylogenetic tree and network analysis.Based on the PCR-PRFLP profile, one (۶.۲۵%) of sheep isolates and ۱۹ (۳۹.۶۰%) of cattle isolates were detected as F. gigantica, whereas ۹۳.۷۵% of sheep isolates, ۶۰.۴۰% of cattle isolates and all of the goat isolates were F. hepatica. In the ۲۰ analyzed flukes, five ND۱ haplotypes were detected. Statistically significant genetic differentiation was demonstrated between the Iran population and all the other populations. Evidence is presented for the existence of two well-separated populations: African and West Asian gigantica flukes and East Asian gigantica flukes.Genetic relationships among haplotypes were associated with geographical divisions. Also, our results have heightened our knowledge about the genetic diversity of F. gigantic, providing the first evidence for the existence of two well-separated populations of this parasite.

Fasciola, genotyping, Iran, Kermanshah, NADH dehydrogenase subunit ۱