Abstract

BACKGROUND: Linguatula serrata is a zoonotic parasite causing Halazoun syndrome in humans. Consumption of raw or semi-cooked infected edible offal induces the infection in human. OBJECTIVES: The main objective of this study was to investigate the outbreak and molecular characterization of Linguatula serrata in sheep and goat of Yazd slaughterhouse. METHODS: To determine the prevalence and severity of Linguatula serrata, mesenteric lymph nodes of 200 slaughtered sheep and 200 slaughtered goats in the Yazd industrial slaughterhouse were examined. DNA extraction was performed using commercial DNA extraction kit per the manufacturers’ protocol. In order to genetic evaluation, the partially 18srRNA gene as a target was amplified using the specific primer pair which was designed by Primer3 software. The PCR product was sent for sequencing and the sequence was BLAST. Data were then analyzed using SPSS version 16.0 and by the Pearson correlation test and χ2 at a significance level of 0.01. RESULTS: In the present study, prevalence of the infection of slaughtered goats and sheep was 25.5 and 22.5, respectively. No statistically significant difference was observed between the prevalence of this parasite in different ages and sexes groups (goats and sheep). The results of genetic evaluation showed no variation in this isolate in comparison with the ones in GenBank. Conclusions: This study was the first report of molecular identification of Linguatula serrate in Iran. Considering the high prevalence of infection in domestic animals and lack of knowledge and hygienic practice of the people about consumption of animal offal, infection of the people to Linguatula serrata is probable. Therefore, in this context, using appropriate and reliable diagnostic methods for detection of infection in abattoirs as well as educating people on the proper use of animal offal are effective steps to prevent this disease. © 2017 University of Tehran. All rights reserved.