University of Tabriz Journal of Zoonotic Diseases 2476-535X 10 2 2026 06 01 Genotyping of Echinococcus granulosus Specimens Isolated from Dogs in Southeastern Iran 1183 1193 21812 10.22034/jzd.2026.21812 EN Mahdi Khoshsima Shahraki Department of Pathobiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman, Kerman, Iran Saeidreza Nourollahifard Department of Pathobiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman, Kerman, Iran Mehdi Golchin Department of Pathobiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman, Kerman, Iran Bahman Fouladi 2Health Clinical Sciences Research Center, Zah. C., Islamic Azad University, Zahedan, Iran Mansour Dabirzadeh Zabol University of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Parasitology and Mycology, Zabol, Sistan-Baluchistan Province, Iran. Journal Article 2026 04 30 Cystic echinococcosis is an important zoonotic disease caused by the larval stage of Echinococcus granulosus and remains endemic in Iran. Identification of circulating genotypes in definitive hosts is essential for understanding local transmission patterns and supporting molecular epidemiological surveillance (1). A total of 260 fecal samples were collected from owned, stray, and shelter dogs in Kerman, Zabol, and surrounding areas in southeastern Iran. Samples were examined microscopically for taeniid eggs, and DNA was extracted from microscopically positive samples. Polymerase chain reaction (2) assays targeted an approximately 450 bp fragment of the mitochondrial cox1 gene and an approximately 460 bp fragment of the nuclear ITS1 region. Amplicons were sequenced and analyzed using BLASTn and phylogenetic approaches to determine genetic identity and relationships (3). Among the 260 samples examined, 17 contained taeniid eggs and/or cestode proglottids, and 13 samples (5%) were confirmed by PCR as E. granulosus. Clear single amplicons were obtained for both markers. BLASTn and phylogenetic analyses demonstrated that all isolates belonged to E. granulosus sensu stricto (G1–G3 complex). The cox1 sequences showed high similarity to reference strains (98.07%–99.76%), indicating marked mitochondrial homogeneity. In contrast, ITS1 sequences showed greater variability (97.71%–99.75%) and were distributed into shallow subgroups related to isolates from neighboring endemic regions (2).The coexistence of mitochondrial homogeneity and moderate nuclear variation reflects the established genetic structure of the E. granulosus sensu stricto(s.s.) population in southeastern Iran. It supports the predominance of the G1–G3 complex in this region.

https://jzd.tabrizu.ac.ir/article_21812_bf9b549777e84ab2ae73eb802356752f.pdf