Abstract
BACKGROUND: Echinococcus granulosus sensu lato is one of the most important zoonotic parasites in many regions of the world. Cystic echinococcosis (CE) is a major economic and public health challenge in Iran. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to determine the prevalence and genotypes of Echinococcus granulosus isolates from slaughtered buffaloes in Guilan Province, northern Iran. METHODS: We examined 384 buffaloes at the Talesh county abattoir, isolating 42 hydatid cysts. We sequenced the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (CO1) and NADH dehydrogenase subunit 1 (ND1) genes for genotype analysis. Molecular phylogeny and haplotype network analysis was performed for the isolates. RESULTS: Our results showed that 10.9% of the buffaloes were infected with hydatid cysts, with 90.5% of infections in the liver and 9.5% in the lungs. Only one liver cyst was fertile; the rest were non-fertile. Amongst the infected animals, 21.4% (9/42) were male, and 78.6% (33/42) were female. No significant gender-related difference in infection rates was observed (p = 0.057); however, a significant relationship was found between age groups and infection (p = 0.030). Sequence analysis identified all isolates as belonging to the G1 genotype of E. granulosus, with five haplotypes being identified. CONCLUSION: The study highlights the high prevalence of hydatid cysts in buffaloes, though fertility was low, suggesting a minor role for buffaloes in CE epidemiology in this region. Similar to other studies, our research shows that infection rates increase significantly with age.