Molecular identification of Crithidia sp. from naturally infected dogs

The current study was performed to identify Crithidia sp., a blood microparasite, in canines in Al-Qadisiyah Province and its regional districts. The study included collecting blood samples from the cephalic vein from 50 street and domesticated dogs. The study included collecting data on age, sex, clinical signs, and sample collection regions. PCR and partial sequencing of the 18S rRNA gene were performed. The findings revealed that the infection rates were 4/50 and 7/50 for age groups of >1 and ≤1 years old, respectively. Moreover, the rates were 10/50 and 1/50 for males and females. In addition, the rates were 4/50 and 7/50 for symptomatic and asymptomatic animals, respectively. Furthermore, the rates were 1(2%), 3(6%), 6(12%), 0, and 1(2%) for the city center of Al-Diwaniyah, Nuffar, Saniyah, Dagharah, and Sumar, respectively. The sequencing findings revealed that the isolates from the current study were similar to isolates from Czech and Russia. The findings suggest that Crithidia sp. exists in dogs, and these isolates might have a common ancestor of the parasite due to similarities between the isolates of the current study and Czech and Brazil isolates.