Tehran University of Medical Sciences Iranian Journal of Public Health 2251-6085 49 1 2020 01 07 157 166 Hamid HASANPOUR Department of Parasitology and Mycology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran AND Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Ilam University of Medical Sciences, Ilam, Iran Reza FALAK Immunology ‎Research Center, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Saied Reza NADDAF Department of Parasitology, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran, Iran Santiago MAS-COMA Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain Mohammad Bagher ROKNI Department of Parasitology and Mycology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Alireza BADIRZADEH Department of Parasitology and Mycology, School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Kobra MOKHTARIAN Department of Parasitology and Mycology, School of Medicine, Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences, Shahrekord, Iran Mehdi MOHEBALI Department of Parasitology and Mycology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Sanaz JAFARPOUR AZAMI Department of Parasitology and Mycology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Arezoo FADAVI Department of Parasitology and Mycology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Mohammad Javad GHARAGOZLOU Department of Pathobiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran Kazem MOHAMMAD Department of Parasitology and Mycology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Gholamreza MOWLAVI Department of Parasitology and Mycology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran 2020 01 07 Background: Identification of liver flukes, Fasciola hepatica, and Fasciola gigantica by morphometric parameters is not always reliable due to the overlapping measurements. This study aimed to characterize the liver flukes of animals from different parts of Iran by the genetic markers, ITS1, and COXI. Methods: We collected flukes from infected livestock in six provinces of Iran from Sep to Nov 2016. The flukes were identified by amplification of a 680 bp sequence of ITS1 locus followed by a restriction fragment polymorphism (RFLP) assay. The genetic diversity among isolates was evaluated by amplification and sequencing of a 493 bp fragment of the COXI gene. Results: We obtained 38 specimens from Khuzestan, 22 from Tehran, 10 from Isfahan, 10 from Mazandaran, 4 from Kurdistan, and 3 from Ardabil provinces. PCR-RFLP analysis revealed two patterns, representing F. hepatica, and F. gigantica. Fifty specimens from cattle and sheep exhibited F. hepatica pattern and 37 from the cattle, sheep, buffalo, and goat that of F. gigantica. The phylogeny based on COXI revealed two distinct clades separating F. hepatica from F. gigantica. In our phylogeny, the Iranian F. gigantica isolates showed a distinct separation from the African flukes, while grouped with the East Asia specimens demonstrating a common ancestor. The F. hepatica isolates clustered with the flukes from different parts of the world, including East Asia, Europe, and South America. Conclusion: The present study revealed a substantial genetic difference between F. gigantica populations of Asia and Africa, while F. hepatica isolates from different parts of the world shared high similarities. https://ijph.tums.ac.ir/index.php/ijph/article/view/19373 https://ijph.tums.ac.ir/index.php/ijph/article/download/19373/6641