MORPHOLOGCAL AND MOLECULAR STUDY OF HARD TICKS SPECIES THAT INFESTED SMALL RUMINANTS IN DUHOK GOVERNORATE, KURDISTAN REGION, IRAQ

Ticks are harmful ectoparasite that feed on human and animal blood and causing manydiseases through the world. They infested many hosts including: mammals, reptiles and birds.Ticks are important vector and they have the ability to transmit a variety of pathogenic agent tohumans and animals. Ticks are divided into two major groups which are hard tick (Ixodidae) andsoft tick (Argasidae). Because there was no such study done on identification of tick species byPCR technique in Kurdistan and particularly in Duhok Governorate, therefore present study wasdone to identify tick species by using molecular study by using of 16S rRNA and DNAsequencing. About 1000 ticks were collected from both sheep and goat respectively (500 and500), form Duhok Governorate including: Barwaria, Zakho, Sumeil, Mangeshik, Sersin, Shekhanand Akre, Iraqi Kurdistan, between May and June 2016, between April and June 2017. Theresults of present study three genera of tick were detected in small ruminants by microscopicidentification including: Rhipicephalus spp., Hyalomma spp. and Boophilus spp. Distribution oftick among sheep and goat according to the gender, the rate of infection in female was higherthan in male in both species Ewe and Doe was 32.6% and 31.11% respectively as compared tomale in both species (Ram and Buck) was 21.15% and 15.11% respectively. The distribution of gender of tick in was higher in male ticks than female tick with ratio 2:1. Distribution ofidentified ticks in present study including (Rhipicephalus, Hyalomma and Boophilus)respectively, in Barwaria were (82.6%, 13.3%, and 4.1) respectively, in Zaxo were (48.3%,42.5% and 10.3%), in Sumel were (47%, 42.7% and 10.3%), in Mangeshik were (73,2%, 26.8%,and 0%), in Sersink were (61.5%, 38.5% and 0%), in Shekhan were (78.8%, 11.8% and 9.4%)and in Akre were (60%, 34% and 6%). On molecular study, 60 samples from 150 were positivewith size 460 bp after 16S rRNA amplification and have got clear bands on agarose gel 1% andelectrophoresis and 20 PCR positive products were sent to Humanizing Genomics, MacrogenCompany (Korea) using primer 16S_rRNA gene for sequencing both forward and Reverse. Sixspecies of tick under two genera were founded including: Rhipicephalus and Hyalomma wereidentified which including: Hyalomma anatolicum, H. marginatum, R. annulatus, R. sanguineusand R. turanicus. H. asiaticum asiaticum for the first time was recorded in Kurdistan, andespecially in Duhok city. Moreover, all sequences were submitted to NCBI using BankItsoftware and we obtained accession number. Phylogenetic tree was constructed based on 16SrRNA for both samples: 16S rRNA (MN594483) and (MN594490) were identical 100% toreference sequences respectively: (KU664367.1 and HM176656.1) and other sequences wereidentical 99% to the references sequence. In conclusion the present study is the first study foridentification of tick species among sheep and goats in Duhok Governorate, Iraqi Kurdistan bysequencing analysis