Molecular Characteristics of Echinococcus granulosus Strains Isolated from Iranian Camel Using High Resolution Melting Analysis of atp6 and cox1 Genes

Cystic echinococcosis (CE) also known as hydatid disease, is a zoonotic helminthic disease caused by infection with the larval stage of a tapeworm Echinococcus granulosus. It is an important parasite regarding human health and is categorized into different genotypes. The present study aimed to identify different genotypes of E. granulosus metacestode isolated from Iranian camel. In this cross-sectional study, 54 hydatid cysts were isolated from slaughtered Iranian camels (Camelus dromedarius) in Isfahan (33 samples) and Yazd (21 samples) province s’ laughterhouses. The DNA was extracted from the isolated hydatid cysts and high resolution melting analysis (HRM) was performed. The curves were confirmed by sequencing and aligning with previously deposited sequences. Based on the results of the present study, 94.4%, 3.7%, and 1.9% of the studied isolates were identified as E. granulosus (G1), E. granulosus (G2), and E. intermedius (G6) in the two studied regions, respectively. Moreover, 85.18% of the cysts were isolated from lung and 5.82% of them were also isolated from the liver of the camels. Based on the HRM analysis of cox1 and atp6 genes, E. granulosus (G1) accounts for the most cases of camelid cystic echinococcosis, and demonstrates camels as a source of human cystic echinococcosis