MORPHOLOGICAL AND MOLECULAR STUDY OF CHEWING LICE INFESTING POULTRY IN BASRAH PROVINCE, IRAQ

Birds are exposed to infection by various ectoparasites, including chewing lice (Order: Phthiraptera), which affect nearly all avian species. The present study aimed to diagnose the species of lice parasitizing poultry using morphological traits, and molecular analysis (PCR). Additionally, the study included the construction of a phylogenetic tree of the among the species sequenced on the basis of genetic sequencing by using 18S rRNA. The survey was conducted during the period from November 2023 to October 2024. A total of 300 chickens and pigeons were examined from different locations in Basrah Province. In the study, four species were recorded, and registered in GenBank with the following accession numbers: PQ636457 to Columbicola columbae (Linnaeus,1758), PQ636458 to Campanulotes bidentatus (Scopoli,1763), PQ636459 to Menacanthus stramineus (Nitzsch,1818), and PQ636460 to Menopon gallinae (Linnaeus,1758).