Prevalence Rate and Molecular Characteristics of<i> Oestrus ovis </i>L. (Diptera, Oestridae) in Sheep and Goats from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

• Main Authors: Dina M. Metwally, Shurug A. Albasyouni, Ibrahim A.H. Barakat, Isra M. Al-Turaiki, Amal M. Almuhanna, Muhammad A. Bashir, Hanadi B. Baghdadi, Manal F. El-Khadragy, Reem A. Alajmi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2021-03-01
• Series: Animals
• Subjects: myiasis; prevalence; <i>Oestrus ovis</i>; <i>mtCOI</i>; sheep; goats
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/11/3/689

Heads of sheep (<i>n</i> = 600) and goats (<i>n</i> = 800) slaughtered at Al-Aziziah Abattoir in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, were inspected for the presence of <i>O. ovis</i> larvae (L). Heads were split along the longitudinal axes, and larvae (L1, L2, and L3) were gathered. The infestation rate was significantly higher in goats (44.5%; 356/800) than that in sheep (22.3%; 134/600). Out of the 151 collected larvae from sheep, 0% were L1, 1.3% were L2, and 98.7% were L3. Out of the total of 468 larvae from goats, 0% were L1, 1.2% were L2, and 98.8% were L3. The infestation rate was significantly higher in males than that in females. Myiasis-causing larvae collected from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, were authenticated as <i>O. ovis</i>, according to morphological characteristics. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of a partial fragment (600 bp) of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (<i>mtCOI</i>) gene further confirmed the species. Phylogenetic analysis based on the partial <i>mtCOI</i> gene sequence demonstrated that 23 unique sequences showed high similarity based on nucleotide pairs of <i>O. ovis</i> accessions retrieved from GenBank.