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

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 be-tween 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.