Molecular characterization and phylogenetic studies of and coenurus cysts in slaughtered sheep in Saudi Arabia.

Taeniids, consisting of two genera and , are obligatory tapeworms of mammals, and their pathogenicity was due to infection with larval stages. Hydatid (the larval stage of ) and coenurus (the larval stage of ) cysts are prevalent in domestic, wild ruminants, livestock, swine, and dogs, and accidentally they could also be found in humans. They lead to different clinical manifestations that cause economic loss in livestock and human morbidity. In Saudi Arabia, few studies were performed on hydatid and coenurus cyst genetic variations. The main goal of the present study was to identify and cyst isolates collected from slaughtered Harri sheep in Saudi Arabia by partial sequencing with PCR amplification of the cytochrome C oxidase 1 (1) gene. Molecular and phylogenetic evaluation based on 1 sequences indicated that cyst isolates belong to and , respectively, successfully submitted in NCBI Genbank. Molecular characterization showed a low nucleotide diversity with two submitted isolates of coenurus with related isolates of Genbank. Conversely, isolates showed higher nucleotide diversity. The reported data could serve as a foundation for future molecular epidemiological and biological studies.