Morphological and Molecular Diagnosis of microfilaria species in blood of naturally infected sheep in Mosul city, Iraq

The present study aimed to use morphometric and genetic characteristics to identify the species of filarioid worms that infest sheep in Mosul city, Iraq. by using microscopic examination (ME) of the blood smears stained with MGG- Quick stain, Modified Knott technique and conventional polymerase chain reaction technique for the diagnosis of disease. From July 2024 to October 2024, three hundred of blood samples Blood samples were drawn randomly from sheep in various regions of Mosul city. The total percentage of microfilaria infection is 56% during investigation by the modified Knott technique. The results of morphological study showed different type of Microfilaria spp. diagnosis depended in shapes and measurement, such as Setaria spp., Onchocerca spp., Dipetalonema spp., Elaeophora spp. The length range (102-600) μm and width range (11-21) μm. also Ultrastructure of microfilaria (Mf) was imaged through scanning electron microscopies, in a high degree of accuracy that is not provided by traditional light microscopes that identity of the most common genera was confirmed through examination using a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), which contributed to enhancing the accuracy of diagnosis of Setaria spp. and Onchocerca spp., also Molecular analysis the gene sequencing and phylogenetic tree analysis of the microfilaria identified three isolates of Setaria digitata under accession number LC850259.1, PV523263.1 and PV523264.1 as well as two isolates of Filaria latala under accession number, LC850256.1 and LC850257.1.