Molecular diagnosis of the Demodex folliculorum parasite by 18SrRNA gene in Iraq.

Demodex folliculorum It is one of the most types of microscopic external parasites that infect humans, which feeds on the fat of the skin, around the hair follicles and causes many diseases, including Perioral dermatitis, Demodectic Blepharitis, Pityriasis folliculorum, Rosacea and leads to the induction of allergic and inflammatory reactions against its antigens.The current study aimed to detect Demodex folliculorum parasite in humans by using the PCR technique and using the primers of the (18S rRNA) genes responsible for diagnosing the parasite. Where DNA was extracted from samples collected from those infected with the parasite, the reactions were performed using a PCR machine to clone the DNA. Then, the nucleotide sequence of the gene was studied, and the path length of the PCR products was 802 base pairs, and they were sent to the NCBI website, and all the generated sequences were recorded in the GenBank database (entry number: MW186179.1, MW186180.1), A phylogenetic tree was established using the Neighbor joining method in the MEGA X version of two isolates from human skin, and the links were genetically compared in NCBI-BLAST with respect to D. folliculorum isolate from Iraq. 18SrRNA from parasite D. folliculorum was used for confirmed genetic identification. Iraqi 18SrRNA isolates are 100% identical to the parasite isolates recorded in Hungary (entry number: KC894848.1), but less similar to other isolates from Spain, China, and Thailand (entry number: Am905316.1, HQ7280000.1, KY305348.1) respectively [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]