Molecular Detection and Phylogenetic Analysis of Endosymbiont Wolbachia pipientis (Rickettsiales: Anaplasmataceae) Isolated from Dirofilaria immitis in Northwest of Iran

The purpose of this study was molecular detection and phylogenetic analysis of species of . Adult filarial nematodes were collected from the cardiovascular and pulmonary arterial systems of naturally infected dogs, which caught in different geographical areas of Meshkin Shahr in Ardabil Province, Iran, during 2017. genomic DNA were extracted. Phylogenetic analysis for proofing of was carried out using cytochrome oxidase I ( ) gene. Afterward, the purified DNA was used to determine the molecular pattern of the surface protein ( ) gene sequence by PCR. Phylogeny and homology studies showed high consistency of the gene with the previously-registered sequences for . Comparison of DNA sequences revealed no nucleotide variation between them. PCR showed that all of the collected parasites were infected with . The sequence of the gene in species from was significantly different from other species of as well as other filarial species. The maximum homology was observed with the isolated from . The greatest distance between nucleotides of species found between and those isolated from . PCR could be a simple but suitable method for detection of species. There is a pattern of host specificity between and that can be related to ancestral evolutions. The results of this phylogenetic analysis and molecular characterization may help us for better identification of species and understanding of their coevolution.