DETECTION AND IDENTIFICATION OF TOXOCARA CANIS IN DOGS IN TABUK REGION, SAUDI ARABIA BY PCR AND DNA SEQUENCING

AL-GHABBAN, AREEJ

doi:10.21608/jesp.2023.331731

DETECTION AND IDENTIFICATION OF TOXOCARA CANIS IN DOGS IN TABUK REGION, SAUDI ARABIA BY PCR AND DNA SEQUENCING

Document Type : Original Article

Author

AREEJ AL-GHABBAN

Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Tabuk, Saudi Arabia

10.21608/jesp.2023.331731

Abstract

Dog feces are important for spreading and transmitting parasite eggs, larvae, and oocysts by
contaminating soil, food, or water. Dog feces can be a source of intestinal parasites. This study
investigated the prevalence of Toxocara canis infection in stray dogs in the Tabuk Region in
northwest Saudi Arabia. Eggs were discovered using the sedimentation flotation method in the
feces of stray dogs, and they were recognized using DNA sequencing and polymerase chain reaction
(PCR). Out of the 200 fecal samples that were randomly obtained from public places, the
Tabuk region's west (an agricultural area) showed the highest prevalence of eggs (7.5%). The
molecular approaches for identification of this parasite are sensitive sufficient to distinguish between
the various T. canis in feces and to detect low parasite levels. Due to Saudi Arabia's ineffective
environmental hygiene controls, the comparatively high prevalence of this parasite may
continue to rise. This study accurately identified T. canis in dogs in Tabuk Region by a new technique,
eliminating the possibility of misdiagnosis by traditional fecal microscopy.

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