BACKGROUND: Health and welfare of dogs can be adversely affected by ectoparasite infestations and these infestations pose severe risks to human health due to close contact between dog and human. OBJECTIVES: This study was carried out to detemine the frequency of ectoparasite infestation in referred dogs to veterinary hospital of Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran. METHODS: From April 2017 to April 2018, a total of 460 dogs were examined for ectoparasites. Age, gender, season, breed, keeping place, hair length, hair colour, pruritus, alopecia and distribution of parasites on different parts of the body of each examined dog were recorded in a questionnaire. RESULTS: Out of 460 dogs examined, 99 (21.52%) were found to be infested with ectoparasites. Forty-eight  (10.43%) dogs were infested with Ctenocephalides canis and Pulex irritans. Rhipicephalus turanicus, Sarcoptes scabiei, Hippobosca longipennis and Rhipicephalus sanguineus were found on 14 (3.04%), 10 (2.17%), 10 (2.17%) and 9 (1.95%) dogs, respectively. Infestation with Wohlfahrtia magnifica, Demodex canis, Otodectes cynotis, Haemaphysalis erinacei and Linognathus setosus were observed in 9 (1.95%), 3 (0.65%), 2 (0.43%), 1 (0.21%) and 1 (0.21%) examined dogs, respectively. There was a statistically significant association between ectoparasite infestation and sex, keeping place and pruritus (p < /em><0.05). No statistical relationship was found between ectoparasite infestation and age, hair colour, hair length, season and alopecia (p < /em>>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study conducted on dog ectoparasite infestation in Mashhad district, Northeast Iran. Fleas were the most common ectoparasites and although ectoparasite infestation rate was relatively low, high species diversity was observed. Some of these ectoparasites have zoonotic importance.

BACKGROUND: European chub (Squalius cephalus) is a member of Cyprinidae family and is classified as fresh water fishes which live in a group in roaring rivers. Siahrood runs from the south east to the Caspian Sea. OBJECTIVES: The main objective of this study was determination and identification of parasites of European chub in the Siahrood river. METHODS: In the current study, a total number of 96 fishes with average weight of 42 ± 3 gr and average length of 15 ± 1 cm were collected during winter, spring, summer and autumn 2015. The collected fishes were transported to parasitology lab with oxygenated plastic bags and were kept in aquarium till examination. Sample collection was conducted from skin, gills, fins and eyes and prepared wet mount was studied with optical microscope. Samples which are positive for presence of parasite were fixed and identified at the level of genus or species by biometric characterization and identification keys. RESULTS: In the present study, 6 species of endo parasites and ecto parasites were detected from different organs of Siahrood’s European chubs that included: 2 protozoan species from gills, Ichthyophthirius multifiliis with the highest positive samples in summer; Trichodina sp. with the highest positive samples in spring; 1 Myxozoa species from the intestine, Myxobolus  muelleri with the highest positive samples in winter; 3 Monogenea species, Dactylogyrus vistulae and Diplozoon paradoxum from the gills with highest positive samples at autumn and summer respectively; Gyrodactylus mutabilitas from the gills and the skin with the highest positive samples in summer. CONCLUSIONS: It seems the major factors affecting the variable presence of parasites in different seasons are ecological and environmental variation of the river in different seasons and the effects of these changes on fishes physiology and parasites life cycle.

Objective: The present study was designed to conduct molecular and morphological identification of cat fleas (Ctenocephalides felis) from Bangladesh along with nucleotide polymorphism and phylogenetic analysis. Materials and Methods: Samples were collected from two hosts (cat and human). The species was identified through morphological studies first, and then DNA was extracted for subsequent molecular analysis. A part of the mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene was amplified by polymerase chain reaction using extracted DNA as a template. The amplified region was sequenced using the Sanger dideoxy method. The sequence was subjected to NCBI BLASTn search. BioEdit and MEGA 11 software were used for multiple sequence alignment (MSA) and generating a phylogenetic tree. Results: Morphological features such as shape, size, and appendages showed similarity with C. felis. The metatibial formula of chaetotaxy (2-2-2-2-1-3) was confirmed for species-level identification. NCBI BLASTn search showed the highest sequence identity with the available sequence of C. felis such as 99.78% (NC_049858.1) and 99.12% (MW420044.1 and MK941844.1) with 100% query coverage. MSA of C. felis sequences from different geographical distributions show their sequence affinities with each other, and the phylogenetic tree presents their relationship with each other. Conclusion: Both morphological and molecular studies clearly indicate the identity and confirmation of cat flea (C. felis) from Bangladesh. [J Adv Vet Anim Res 2025; 12(1.000): 280-286]